Matchday 16 of the 2024/25 Ghana Premier League ended with league leaders Heart of Lions dropping three points, while Asante Kotoko slipped up away from home, with Hearts of Oak securing an important win over Legon Cities on Friday night.
3Sports takes a look at five talking points from matchday 16.
Kotoko slip up in title quest
Asante Kotoko will be hurting for letting three points skim away through their fingers.
The Porcupine Warriors didn’t necessarily have Medeama on chokehold, although they had a melee of chances to bury the game after taking a first-half lead through forward Kwame Opoku.
The result will rather be seen as a more disappointing one for Kotoko, who will feel they dropped two points rather than gained a point in Tarkwa.
On the back of four consecutive wins, Kotoko were looking for a fifth win on the trot and were partially over the line until they were pegged back after the hour mark when defender Kamaradini scored for the hosts.
The Porcupine Warriors can take solace from the fact that the title race is far from done. With 28 points—same as fierce rivals Hearts of Oak—Kotoko are sixth, two points away from joint-table toppers GoldStars and Heart of Lions.
Hearts of Oak building momentum
Like a breakaway train, Hearts of Oak are bearing down on the clubs above them.
Steadily, but mightily, Hearts of Oak are taking giant strides towards the league. Earlier in December, coach of the side, Aboubakar Ouattara, subtly spoke about winning the league at the end of the season, even though he quickly brushed aside title talks after that.
On Friday, the Phobians set the tone for the weekend with a 1-0 victory over Legon Cities at the University of Ghana Stadium.
Since losing to Asante Kotoko, Hearts have now won three games on the bounce. Only Nations FC (20) have scored more goals than the Phobians (16), who share the record with four other teams.
With about 18 games to go, Hearts are involved in a title fight.
Hearts will be hoping to win a first league crown since the 2020/21 season when the season concludes in about five months.
Samartex back to winning ways
After a run of four successive defeats – a first in their history – FC Samartex finally found their mojo.
The difficulties they have faced up until this point of the season were summarized two weeks ago when title-leading coach Nurudeen Amadu parted ways with the team, leading to the appointment of Christopher Ennin.
Ennin has so far played two games as manager, winning one and drawing one. However, the standout in Ennin’s two games is the instilling of lost self-confidence and belief.
Samartex look to have found a spark, which may be a rippling effect of the new coach’s appointment or an intrinsic motivation to finish the season on a high as defending champions.
Whatever the case is—Christopher Ennin’s appointment rubbing off the players or the desire to finish strongly—Samartex look completely regimented and different from the side that turned up in previous weeks.
Heart of Lions handed reality check in Bechem
Heart of Lions’ title credentials were well and truly tested in Bechem, and they failed woefully.
Although beating Asante Kotoko and Samartex as part of their eight-game unbeaten run, the real test for Lions was in Bechem, where the home side last lost a league game in October.
Bechem themselves were on a five-game winning streak, stretching back to their 1-0 victory over Kotoko in November.
All eyes were fixated on the show-stopping game of the weekend.
In the end, it was Bechem who made the most of home advantage, beating Lions 3-0. The scoreline was somewhat surprising owing to how Lions had been resolute at the back all season.
In their last eight games prior to this, Lions had conceded just a goal.
In fact, the last time Lions conceded three goals in a Ghana Premier League game was in September 2015 !
Although they spent a number of years in that nine-year period in the lower tiers of Ghana football. Lions on the day had no response to Bechem, who were relentless.
At the end of the first half, Bashir Hayford’s game plan was thrown out of the window after conceding two first-half stoppage-time goals.
Lions were largely on the back foot throughout the game and will be disappointed to have lost in the manner in which they did, especially with GoldStars breathing down their necks.
GoldStars keep believing
Until it is all said, done, and dusted, Bibiani GoldStars have every right to keep believing they are in the title race.
After defeating Berekum Chelsea 2-0 at Duns Park on Saturday, the Miners moved level on points with Heart of Lions before Sunday’s games. After Heart of Lions faltered in Bechem, GoldStars remain level on points with the league leaders on 30 points.
Securing promotion to Ghana’s top flight in the 2020/21 season, GoldStars have never won the Ghana Premier League crown.
Their league finishes – 10th, 5th & 11th – just about adds gloss to what it will mean for GoldStars to clinch the league.
Leading their title push is coach Frimpong Maanso, who has vast experience and is not shy to make bold decisions.
However, admittedly, the task is enormous for GoldStars. They’ll need to stay perfect from now through till the end of the season to fancy their chances of making the league crown theirs.
The post Five talking points from GPL matchday 16 first appeared on 3News.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS