Kotoko coach Frimpong Manso bemoans defensive errors in Hearts thumping

Head coach of Asante Kotoko Frimpong Manso has lamented on his side's defensive lapses in their defeat to Hearts of Oak in the first leg of the [email protected] anniversary game on Monday.

The Phobians triumphed 3-1 in the first leg of the [email protected] anniversary match at the Accra Sports Stadium to leave their sworn rivals in the capital looking nervously over their shoulder ahead of the second leg on May,28^th.

Substitute striker Kwame Kizito capitalized on a goalkeeping blunder by Felix Annan to power Hearts into the lead fifteen minutes after the break.

Kotoko leveled through Awal Mohammed's powerful header to give his side any hope of snatching a point from the game ahead of the second leg in Kumasi.

Hearts, however, restored their lead courtesy captain Thomas Abbey's bullet shot in the six-yard box after Felix Annan failed to deal with Winful Cobbinah's lofty free kick.

Hearts took the beyond their arch rivals following a great work by Fatau Mohammed, who easily beat Edwin Tuffour Frimpong on the by-line to square the ball to Patrick Razak whose initial header skewed off his shoulder and the ball fell kindly to Fatau Mohammed again and again passed to the unmarked Razak but this time, he coolly tapped into an empty.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Frimpong Mason said, 'We were undone by goalkeeping errors because I don't think we should lost this match after controlling the game for the large part.'

'But I'm not alarmed by the results because our supporters can see that we're gradually improving in every game we play since I took over the team's rein. And having said that, I'll urge our fans not to feel downhearted because I'm sure we can also beat them in Kumasi and take the trophy because it's not over.'

Reuben Obodai