VIDEO: Drama as Aduana stun Kotoko 1-0

Drama was staged in good measure yesterday as sensational Aduana Stars defeated Asante Kotoko 1-0 to maintain their unbeaten home run this season and, also, extend Kotoko’s winless streak at Dormaa-Ahenkro in 11 clashes.

Samuel Bioh’s strike almost at full-time earned Aduana three valuable points and turned the Nana Agyemang Badu Park into a carnival atmosphere as the home fans carried the lone-goal hero shoulder high in celebration when referee Alphonso Atiapa brought the encounter to an end.

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Watch highlights of the match below;

Drama galore

However, it was a match that was characterised by drama informed by superstition as both sides, uncharacteristically, chose to start the match with 10 players each despite registering 11 players on the team sheet.

Strangely, the entire first half was played with Kotoko’s Martin Antwi and Aduana’s Farouk Adams, who were both named in the starting line-up, sitting on the technical bench to the dismay of fans.

However both teams fielded 11 players at the start of the second half of the match.

At the end of the game, the spokesperson for Aduana could not give any tangible reason for their decision to start the game with 10 men, except to say that Adams was not 100 per cent fit. But Kotoko coach, Maxwell Konadu, refused to assign a reason to his action.

However, the Match Commissioner, Mr J.B. Yakubu, explained that it was not an offence for teams to use 10 players to start a match.

Balance game

When the match commenced, all eyes were on Aduana’s captain and leading marksman, Yahaya Mohammed, who had previously scored in all but one of their home matches and was the joint-top scorer in the league on 10 goals. The dreadlocks star and Mohammed Bright Adjei took turns to threaten the Kotoko goal area but missed clear chances to the disappointment of the home fans.

However, Kotoko proved equal to the task midway through the first half and occasionally mounted pressure on Aduana but lacked the cutting edge in attack.

The pendulum of action swung from one end to the other in the second half without either side taking a firm grip on the game.

The clash appeared to be heading for a barren draw at the end of regulation time when during four minutes of added-on time, Bioh seized his moment of glory as he latched onto a long pass, dribbled two Kotoko defenders on the run before beating goalkeeper Kwame Baah with a low shot for the winning goal, which threw the stadium into spontaneous celebration.