Accra Hearts of Oak suffered their second defeat of the season after a 2-0 loss to Karela United at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale yesterday, dealing a blow to their pursuit of the Premier League title.
Two first-half goals from Eric Antwi secured the victory for Karela, who dominated the early exchanges and capitalised on defensive lapses from the Phobians.
Karela signalled their intent as early as the 13th minute, but Ransford Mensah intervened to avert danger.
Three minutes later, the hosts threatened again with a swift run into the penalty area, only for Hearts defender Kelvin Osei Asibey to react sharply and clear the ball.
However, Hearts eventually buckled under the relentless pressure. Antwi broke the deadlock in the 19th minute with a composed finish, prompting the visitors to push forward in search of an equaliser.
Hearts created opportunities through set pieces, with Hamza Issa and Hussein both winning free kicks in dangerous positions. But the resulting efforts either went wide or were expertly saved by the Karela goalkeeper.
At the opposite end, Hearts shot-stopper Richard Agbesi kept his side in the game with a superb save from a curling free kick, maintaining the score at 1–0.
Just as Hearts looked set to enter the break trailing by a single goal, Antwi struck again in the 44th minute, delivering a decisive blow to the visitors.
After the restart, Coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani introduced Frank Duku for George Paaku to bolster the attack. Despite dominating possession and mounting pressure on the hosts, Hearts struggled with poor finishing and failed to find a way past Karela’s resolute defence.
Hearts continued to huff and puff, but Karela held firm to secure a deserved victory and leave the Phobians with much to ponder as the season progresses.
