Five talking points from matchday 26 of 2024/25 Ghana Premier League

With six games to end the season, it is now or never for most teams.

The battle at the top looks intense as ever, with relegation being far from a concluded formality.

3Sports takes a look at five talking points from the weekend’s action.

 

Uncharacteristic Kotoko home slip-up could prove costly

The mission for Kotoko has been to take the remainder of their games as finals and play accordingly.

Against Bechem, however, they didn’t seem to get the plan.

Kotoko needed an Albert Amoah penalty to earn a hard fought point at home, ultimately curtailing their seven-game winning home streak in the process.

The odds were heavily stacked in the Porcupine Warriors’ favour ahead of kick off, given how impressive they’ve been at home.

The draw means Kotoko are winless in their last two game, playing out 1-1 draws with Heart of Lions and Bechem United.

Maybe the Porcupine Warriors are being found out by their opponents. But one thing is certain: they are beginning to creak under strain, showing signs of a worn out team.

The persisting problem of not scoring enough goals is ever-present.

In their last five games, Kotoko have scored four goals, which is unacceptable by their lofty standards.

Not even the firepower of Albert Amoah and Kwame Opoku seems to be given Kotoko the breathing space they need from second place GoldStars.

GoldStars capitalise on Kotoko slip up

When Kotoko were held to a 1-1 draw in Kpando, GoldStars felt it more than their defeat against Dreams FC, because they had failed to make the most of their chances.

The theme in the run-in is pretty straightforward: gather all you can.

They did just that against Young Apostles, picking up a vital win that sends them level on points with Kotoko at the summit of the table.

Both sides are now stuck on 47 points. The decider could be on May 25 when they clash.

 

Lacklustre Hearts of Oak still in title race

Hearts of Oak have been inconsistent throughout the season but still remain in the the title race.

The Phobians have picked up five points from a possible 15 in their last five games, underpinning their struggles.

Although Hearts of Oak are among the defensively sound teams in the league, their failure to score enough goals has been a bigger issue.

Hearts are now on 41 points, six behind Kotoko.

Coach of the side, Aboubakar Ouattara, has failed to rule his side out of contention, insisting nothing is dusted yet until the end of the season in June.

 

Medeama halt Dreams FC’s impressive second round form

Dreams FC were perfect through five and had yet to be defeated since the start of the second round of the league.

Dreams’ record stood at five wins and a draw before they travelled to Tarkwa.

On the evidence of the display in Tarkwa, Dreams looked very much like the side who were battling relegation earlier in the season, rather than the rejuvenated side of late.

Nothing seemed to be working. The reaction to situations were slow and they looked way off the pace of the game.

Medeama took advantage of their sluggishness with forward Braye scoring a hat-trick, becoming the first-ever player to do it at the newly built TNA park.

The fear was that Dreams would get a little bit complacent, and it didn’t take forever for it to be confirmed on Friday.

Although they were mauled, Dreams are 10 points clear of the relegation zone in ninth.

 

Battle for survival continues

Accra Lions staked their claim of wanting to preserve their Ghana Premier League status after securing a 2-1 win over Holy Stars while Legon Cities lost 2-0 against Samartex.

As it stands, four points separate 12th place Basake Holy Stars from 16th placed Accra Lions.

The reading of the table means nothing is decided yet.

 

The post Five talking points from matchday 26 of 2024/25 Ghana Premier League first appeared on 3News.

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