Only A Miracle
... CAN SAVE HEARTS OR STOP KOTOKO MIRACLES rarely occur in football, but when they do they are etched on the minds of the game's followers, serving as a reminder of the uncertainty that football entails.
In Ghana football, one miracle, breathtaking by any measure, readily comes to mind when Ghanaians are confronted with the urgency of conjuring such magic: the Miracle of El-Wak (1977).
On that occasion Accra Hearts of Oak turned a hopeless situation into a moment of sheer ecstasy via a miracle that has remained a huge signpost on the football landscape of this country.After losing 5-2 away to Zambia's Mufulira Wanderers in the first leg of a clubs championship in 1977, Hearts faced imminent elimination from the competition.
They needed nothing short of a miracle to survive, and that was exactly what they did to capture the imagination of Ghanaians.In the return encounter in Accra, Hearts turned El-Wak Stadium — scene of the match — into a theatre of a horrific dream for the Zambians by handing them a 3-0 trouncing.
Twenty-six years on, Hearts find themselves in a similar situation that calls for the re-enacting of the Miracle of El-Wak.Having lost 0-3 away to Angola's AS Aviacao in the first leg of a one-eighth clubs championship encounter, the Phobians need a massive four-nil victory to advance to the money zone of the lucrative competition.
It is a very difficult assignment that has given the followers of Hearts sleepless nights, setting off questions as to whether the magic of El-Wak can be relived one more time.The circumstances have changed, and the actors who performed the Miracle of El-Wak have long been gone off the stage. Fearsome names like Mohammed Polo, Mama Acquah, Robert Hammond, Anas Seidu, Peter Lamptey, Adolf Armah, Hesse Odamten and Ofei Ansah now belong to history.
Nonetheless, the inspiring Hearts motto of 'Never Say die until the bones are rotten' has persisted to this day, culminating in the club's conquest of Africa in 2000. After the glory, however, Hearts' light has dimmed to a point that has made even some of the club's most ardent supporters hesitant in their expectations as far as Sunday's game is concerned.
As a side whose strength is rooted in the ability to always come back from the brink and turn night into day, we can't give up on Hearts yet.Hearts have been through some turbulent times lately, but they still have what it takes to let miracles happen. In Emmanuel Osei Kuffuor, Dong Bortey, Wisdom Abbey, Emmanuel Osei, Amankwaa Mireku, Dan Quaye and Adjah Tetteh, among others, they have the men to turn a bad situation around for Hearts and the country.
At the same time when Hearts will be engaged in a battle of survival, Asante Kotoko will be walking a safer tightrope in their bid to qualify for the quarter final of the Cup Winners Cup.With the 2-2 result from the one-eighth first leg encounter in Douala, Kotoko will be treading on safer grounds when they host Mount Cameroun at the Kumasi Stadium.
The Camerounians are in town full of hope that they can upset Kotoko in Kumasi of all places, but given the Porcupine Warriors' top flight performance since the LG Top Four tournament, it would only take a miracle for Mount Cameroun to turn Kumasi into a sea of agony on Sunday.
With classy performers like Michael Osei, Isaac Boakye, Stephen Oduro, Michael Asante and Edmund Owusu Ansah in attack and midfield linking up with the rear guard of Louis Quainoo, Aziz Ansah, Dan Acquah, Dan Yeboah, Godfred Yeboah and Joe Hendricks, it would only take a miracle for Mount Cameroun to survive in Kumasi.This Sunday could well go down as one of the most memorable days in Ghana football.