Hearts register highest goal score line yet

Accra, July 27, GNA - Defending League Champions, Accra Hearts of Oak, registered their highest score line yet, beating Mine Stars 5-0 to keep their chase at this year's Kinapharma Premier League Trophy alive. The Phobians still trail their bitterest rivals Asante Kotoko by just a point as the Kumasi boys won by a lone goal over Arsenals in Kumasi. Hearts started in a whirlwind manner and could have registered a cricket score line if the attackers had kept their cool in front of goal. Laryea Kingston who is scheduled to travel to Israel on Sunday evening to have a trial with an Israeli first division team, opened the scores in the sixth minute when he finished off a Lawrence Adjei thunderbolt, which took a ricochet off the upright. Between the eighth and 15th minutes, when the second goal came, left winger Frank Turkson and Nasiru Ghani had wasted several opportunities to increase the tally for the Phobians. Ghani, however, atoned for his earlier misses as he squeezed in the second after a great contest between him and goalkeeper Eric Asare in the 15th minute. Surprisingly, Amadu Abdul Sanad charged on the referee to register his protest over the goal for no apparent reason. Kumasi-based referee Stephen Oduro subsequently, gave him the matching off orders for dissent. Turkson made it three in the 26th minute while speedster Lawrence Adjei scored the fourth goal three minutes later. Substitute Frank Ntim Twum put the final nail on the coffin for Mines Stars with an 82nd minute banging when he capitalized on a defensive blunder by the visitors. Kotoko In Narrow Victory In Kumasi, Asante Kotoko beat Berekum Arsenals 1-0 in their match played in Kumasi Sports Stadium. The only goal of the match was scored in the 14th minute through Isaac Boakye who connected Michael Osei's pass.
Kotoko, who failed to impress their teeming supporters, started the game on a serious note with a miss by Michael Osei whose header was brilliantly parried to corner by goalkeeper Justice Quarcoo in the third minute.
Osei again missed a good chance in the 11th minute after racing with the ball into Arsenals penalty box but shot into the hands of goalkeeper Quarcoo.
Kotoko kept on pressing for the opener, but in the 13th minute a cross from Michael Osei was headed away by Isaac Boakye but the striker made amends and scored the opener in the 14th minute.
Soon after scoring the opener, Kotoko relaxed, making faulty passes and allowed Arsenals to dictate the pace of the game as Charles Benson missed the post with a header in the 41st minute.
In the 44th minute, goalkeeper Quarcoo failed to grab a shot and Aziz Ansah slotted the ball into the net but referee J.O. Lamptey from Accra disallowed it. Just a minute later, Yusif Chipsah was pulled down by a defender and the referee did not hesitate to whistle for a penalty which was wasted by Stephen Oduro.
On resumption, Arsenals came in strongly and made serious incursions into Kotoko area but the defence weathered the storm.
Kotoko brought in Anars Mohammed for Stephen Oduro in the 59th minute who after only 24th minutes in the game was also replaced by Dan Yeboah to strengthen the broken down midfield while Arsenals also brought on Kwame Agyei for Eric Adu Poku in the 61st minute as Chipsah missed a chance in the 62nd minute.
The visitors who looked well composed and determined to equalised brought in Seth Antwi Gyan for Benson in the 71st minute while Kotoko also brought on Nana Arhin Duah for Edmund Owusu Ansah. It was however Arsenals who benefited from the changes as they pinned Kotoko to the wall forcing them to make mistakes and in the process. Frank Asua nearly equalised in the 83rd minute but he fired off target. Kotoko came into the picture in the dying minute but Chipsah's shot at goal was saved by goalkeeper Quarcoo. faisal Win 2-0 Visiting King Faisal outclassed Koforidua-based Power F/C in their match played at Koforidua beating them 2-0.
Faisal paraded a team of tall giant looking and much experienced players compared to the short and smallish looking players of Power and the Alhaji Grunsah boys effectively used their height advantage to take control of the game right from the first half to the end.
Luckily for the Alhaji Grunsah boys, the Power players kept floating the ball into the air to their advantage.
It was therefore not surprising that King Faisal took the lead in the 53rd minute through their inside left Kwadwo Opoku who lobbed the ball over the head of onrushing Abubakari Sullemana in the post of Power .
Earlier in the first half, a goal by Opoku was disallowed by the referee for fouling one of the defenders of Power before scoring.
King Faisal scored it's second goal through their substitute player Alhassan Yahaya when he jumped high above all the players in the penalty box to head home a lob from a free kick taken by the captain of King Faisal, Godwin Ablordey.
Commenting on the match, an irritated Team Manager of Power F/C Mr. Emmanuel Addotey complained of poor officiating by Referee Buckman Yanney of Saltpond.
He claimed that his team had two penalty kicks which were ignored by Referee Yanney and added that his team would protest against any future handling of their matches by Mr. Yanney.
However, Mr. Addotey acknowledged the good football and domination of the match by the players of King Faisal. At Obuasi, visiting Brong Ahafo United played a powerful soccer but lost 2-1 to Obuasi Goldfields in their encounter at the Len Clay Stadium.
The miners scored twice in the first half before the visitors cancelled one to end the half.
Inspired by Valentine Atem, Goldfields nearly opened the scoring in the third minute but George Eraino wasted a penalty after Atem was brought down when in a good position to score. Determined to vent their spleen on the visitors following the deduction of six points from their points-build-up, Goldfields kept the pressure on their opponents wasting two cornerkicks in the 13th and 19th minutes.
In the 20th minute Valentine who was a target of rough play earned another penalty for his side drawing protests from the visitors for two minutes before Valentine scored to snatch the opener for the miners. In the 29th minute, speedster Shaibu Yakubu scored the second goal for his side when he connected beautifully to Valentine's cross. Not disturbed by the two goals, BA United improved their game, mounting a number of attacks which yielded dividend in the 31st minute when Osman Sakora capitalised on a defensive blunder by Kwame Addo to beat onrushing goalkeeper Isaac Amoako.
BA United and Goldfields introduced flesh limbs into their game with a number of substitutions in the second half but it was BA United who played better.
Charles Ampiah nearly snatched the equaliser for the visitors when his terrific shot from one of their marauding raids hit the crossbar and bounced back into play.
The visitors, still pressuring the miners earned three cornerkicks on the trot in the 81st minute but wasted them all.
Olympics Hold Hasaacas At Sekondi, Hasaacas and Accra Great Olympics failed to score as they sold out a barren draw in their match played at the Sekondi Gyandu Park. The goalless result sent the supporters of the two teams into an emotional rage.
Both teams displayed superb soccer skills yet none of such skills could produce the goals, which are an important ingredient of the game.
Hasaacas dominated in the first half with Muntari Salu and Stephen Sekyere stealing the show with brilliant passes and excellent footwork but they could not make hay as they fluffed all their chances.
Olympics resumed the second half with a new style of play and though Amui Quaye, Roger Odamten and Joseph Tagoe were all brought on during the half, their inclusion, did not change the scores either. However, things nearly turned bloody when Amui Quaye and Francis Mantey of Olympics attacked a ball boy for changing the ball being used during the match.
This, almost led to a free for all fight but the timely intervention of the Police, prevented an imminent bloody scene and players of the visiting team, had to be whisked away in a Police armored vehicle to safety, to prevent any possible attack from the supporters of Hasaacas.
Speaking to the GNA later, Mr. Fiifi Laing, Match commissioner said the attitude of the supporters during and after the match was a disgrace to the beautiful game.
He regretted the utterances of some of the supporters and club officials and said such acts, would not change the score-line but only send the game into disrepute.
At Sunyani, Tano Bofoakwa defeated Kpando Heart of Lions by two goals to nil.