CK Akonnor Salutes Kotoko’s Defense For Their Performance Against Hearts

Head Coach for Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Charles Kwablah Akonnor has praised the defense of the team he fielded for their match against Accra Hearts of Oak on Sunday that helped them to qualify for the final of the tier 1 of the Normalization Committee Special competition.

The Porcupine Warriors beat the Phobians 5-4 on penalties after playing out a one all draw game at the Accra Sports Stadium at the end of the 90 minutes.

Speaking at the post-match conference, CK Akonnor explained that they played against a team that could possess the ball and they had to defend very well to stop them from scoring.

According to him, his backline led by the center-back pair of Wahab Adams and Ismael Ganiu put up a perfect performance, resulting in the results they achieved at the end of the day.

“There were two things in this game. A team that possessed the ball but up to the final third it’s over and we needed to do that in a perfect way. We came into this game knowing that Hearts could pass the ball very well, possess the ball very well, and also to make sure that we utilize their weakness to our strength which was through the flanks”.

“Unfortunately there were things we couldn’t do right. We couldn’t keep the ball and so we struggled by chasing the ball. What was perfect with us was our defensemen. The way we defended was perfect. We looked for the opportunities and luckily for us, we had the man who has been scoring for us, he came back and he delivered”, the gaffer highlighted.

Having defeated Obuasi Ashanti Gold in the other semi-final match, Karela United has now booked a date with Kotoko for the final of the tier 1 of the Special Competition.