Ashgold, Hearts in Top 4 replay
There was high drama at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi Sunday after a replay was ordered instead of a straight penalty shoot-out, after Accra Hearts of Oak held AshantiGold to a 1-1 draw in the final of the GHALCA Top 4 competition.
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For fans and players of both sides who expected a tie-breaking shootout to determine the winners of the season-opening competition, they were stunned when the referee, Prosper Addy, signalled that a replay had been ordered in Accra.
It will be the second time Hearts will be involved in a similar replay, after poor visibility forced a penalty shootout in their match with Heart of Lions to be abandoned last week.
Yesterday, the Phobians put up a spirited performance to keep alive their hopes of winning the Top 4 title, after pulling level through substitute Kwame Kizito, who fired a rebound beyond Ashgold goalie, Robert Dabuo, with 15 minutes to the end of the game.
Kizito’s goal cancelled Emmanuel Osei Baffour’s opening goal in the 15th minute as the Soccer Miners held onto their slim lead for a greater part of the game.
Before the equaliser, everything was pointing to a victory for the Obuasi lads, who enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and defended very strongly and left goalkeeper Dabuo virtually on holiday.
Baffour, who led Ashgold’s attack, proved a handful for the Hearts defenders with a man-of-the-match display.
However, the Phobians changed their game plan and looked more adventurous in attack with Issah Mumuni and Emmanuel Hayford making a lot of incursions into the Ashgold goal area until Kizito settled their nerves with the deserved equaliser.
