Hearts jump to top spot as Kotoko drop to 14th place
Accra Hearts of Oak continued with their impressive form as they added Bechem United to their prey with 3-1 thumping at the Accra stadium yesterday to jump to the summit of the Ghana Premier League. It was the Phobians second straight win at home as they overtook Wa All Stars to stretch their unbeaten run in the four-week-old competition.
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Undefeated All Stars slipped to second place after holding Dreams FC to a 1-1 at Dawu last Saturday.
But the pressure on Coach David Duncan increased after Kumasi Asante Kotoko suffered a 2-0 loss against Berekum Chelsea at the Golden City Park and dropped to the 14th position on the league log. Sadick Adams scored both goals for Chelsea, who jumped to the fourth position.
In Accra, eighth-placed Bechem had a good start in the four-goal thriller and nearly pulled a surprise on Hearts in the 10th minute but striker Abednego Tetteh’s shot hit the post much to the relief of the homesters.
Hearts gradually warmed themselves into the game with Isaac Mensah, Eric Kumi and Sabah Laryea dictating the pace in midfield, leaving the Bechem defence to run after their shadows.
Coach Kenichi Yatsuhatsu’s men worked hard in search of the opening goal with some delectable passes which attracted applauds from their vociferous supporters who turned up at the stadium in their numbers.
In one of such attacks, Sam Yeboah, who was lusking around the danger zone of Bechem during a corner kick, shot at the blind side of goalkeeper Ernest Adu in the 36th minute amidst spontaneous cheers from the fans.
Hearts came back stronger after recess and kept pushing for more goals but Bechem goalkeeper Ernest Adu rose to the occasion anytime he was called to duty. The shot-stopper was, however, unlucky in the 51st minute when Mustapha Essuman’s thunderbolt from a short corner kick deflected into the net for Hearts second goal.
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The visiting side then on looked very ordinary and could hardly string their passes together, allowing the Phobians to control affairs in midfield. In the 68th minute, a telepathic play between Eric Kumi, Sam Yeboah and Cosmos Dauda saw unmarked Issac Mensah racing into the Bechem goal area to connect Dauda’s square pass to give Hearts a commanding 3-0 lead and put the game beyond the visitors’ reach.
Hearts were in cruise control until complacency later set into their game and allowed Bechem’s John Nyamekye to reduce the deficit after a beautiful finsh in the 78th minute.