ABC League Results
Ghapoha 1 Olympics 2 Hasaacas 2 Dawu 1 Kwaebibirim 2 Kotoko 1 Power FC 0 Okwahu 1 Goldfields 1 BA United 0 Bofoakwa 2 RTU 0 Hearts liberty ppd Faisal dwarfs ppd
K’bibirem tame Kotoko From P. K. Arthur, Asuom br The match, watched by perhaps the biggest crowd at Asuom that included Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II, Okyen- hene and divisional chiefs, lived up to expectation as both sides treated the thick crowd to delightful game.
It was Kotoko who shot into the lead from a 30-yard pile drive by Godwin Ablordey in the 20th minute.
A goal down, yet Kwaebibirem were full of fight and it came as no surprise therefore, when Osei Kofi brought them on level terms 10 minutes later with a powerful header to end the first half 1-1.
The second half saw both teams on the offensive with the homesters slightly on top. Little wonder therefore, that substitute Elvis Opoku, who replaced Richard Yeboah, shot Kwaebibirem into the lead in the 60th minute.
The player took advantage of a misunderstanding between Kotoko’s stalwart defender Samuel Bakai and keeper Osei Boateng to slot home what turned out to be the match winner.
Immediately, after the goal, Kotoko players and officials rushed onto the pitch and protested vehemently to the referee, claiming that the goal scorer was wearing a jersey with different colours. This held up play but sanity prevailed after the match commissioner had asked them to send a formal protest to the GFA.
After the final whistle, supporters of Kwaebibirem went into wild jubilation with team coach John Eshun and club chairman, Oheneba Charles being carried shoulder-high in a carnival that was expected to run deep into the night. Dwarfs qualify From Ben Owusu-Sekere Cape Coast VETERAN Stephen Owusu powered Mysterious Ebusua Dwarfs into the quarter finals of the CAF Cup yesterday when he scored two clinical goals against Wydad Athletic Club (WAC) of Morocco in their second-leg match played at the dreaded Siwdu Stadium.
Dwarfs thus qualify on a 4-2 aggregate after losing 1-2 to the Moroccans in the first leg played in Casablanca.
Playing on a soggy pitch after an earlier heavy downpour, which made ball control difficult, the two teams resorted to long balls and hard tackling to tidy up their goal areas. Okwawu stun Power From Akwesi Akwetey, Koforidua KOFORIDUA Power F/C yesterday suffered their first home defeat in this year’s ABC/Premier League when they were beaten 1-0 by visiting Okwawu United.
Slippery Ernest Boateng scored the only goal of the match in the 61st minute.
The Power boys nearly pulled the equaliser in 72nd when their inside right, Erick Arko, shot through the legs of the players in front of the post of Okwawu, but the ball which beat goalkeeper Joseph Aryeetey hit the side post to be cleared on the goal-line by defender Mathew Konadu.
This incident sparked a protest from the players of Power and some of their supporters who rushed on referee E. K. Essel of Tamale to protest, insisting that the ball crossed the goalline before it was cleared by Konadu.
It took the policemen on duty about three minutes to help calm the players and send those supporters, who invaded the field away for the match to continue.
When the referee whistled for the end of the match, angry supporters of Power who had earlier accused the coach of the team, Mr Agyei Pele, of being responsible for their poor performances, attacked the coach and he had to be pushed into one of the official vehicles of Electricity Company of Ghana and whisked away from the supporters some of whom chased the vehicle as it sped off from the stadium.
Owusu shot his aside ahead in the 32nd minute with a powerful shot from a free kick just outside the ‘18’ yard box which the Moroccan keeper Wafio Mostafa struggled to save but the ball crossed the goal-line by inches and referee Mombo Somah from Liberia who was on the spot judged it to be a goal.
The Moroccans charged on the referee to protest against the goal and when they could not change the referee’s mind, they threatened to walk out of the field but were prevailed upon by some of the officials to continue play.
After some five minutes hold-up, the game resumed with some exciting football but the highly temperamental WAC players lost the midfield to the well-composed Dwarfs players.
However, WAC’s duo of dangerman Saad Abdefatah and Kassa Bonfemaa conbined effectively on the right flank to create anxious moments for the home team but defender Alhassan Iddrisu did well to thwart their efforts.
Dwarfs started the second half a really motivated side and earned a penalty two minutes into play when WAC's brilliant defender Bencherifa Mohammed who was under intense pressure, dived to block Mathew Attiogbe’s goal-bound header with his hand.
His action cost the visitors a great deal as the no-nonsense referee gave him the marching off orders to reduce the team to 10 players. Stephen Owusu who elected himself for the kick, curled in a perfect one to leave keeper Mostafa stranded.
However, in a surprise counter attack, in the 70 minute, WAC almost scored a crucial away goal which could have changed the fate of the game when keeper Sulemana failed to make a first time save from a harmless shot.
Skipper Chbouki Adel who was in a good position to finish off, slipped and fell before the post to allow hard working Numo Mohammed to clear the ball to corner.