Asante Kotoko produced a spirited second-half comeback to defeat archrivals Hearts of Oak 2-1 and claim their ninth President’s Cup title at a packed Accra Sports Stadium.
The annual fixture, played in honour of Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama, lived up to its billing with drama, passion, and moments of sheer brilliance, capped by a heroic late penalty save from Kotoko goalkeeper Mohammed Camara.
Hearts took the lead in the 27th minute after a goalkeeping blunder by Camara, who misjudged a cross and dropped the ball into the path of Hamza Issah, leaving the striker with the simplest of tap-ins.
The Phobians carried their one-goal advantage into halftime, with Kotoko chasing shadows for much of the first half.
But whatever was said in the Porcupine Warriors’ dressing room at the break worked wonders.
Just minutes into the second half, Peter Amidu Acquah charged down the left flank, forcing an equaliser when his low cross ricocheted off Konadu Yiadom and into the net.
Barely a minute later, Kwame Poku struck what would prove to be the winner, finishing off a perfectly timed square ball to make it 2-1 and send the Kotoko fans into wild celebrations.
Poku had a golden opportunity to extend the lead in the 74th minute but narrowly missed Albert Amoah’s low cross.
Hearts of Oak thought they had equalised shortly after, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Moments later, they were awarded a penalty, raising hopes of a late comeback.
However, Mohammed Camara, seeking redemption after his earlier error, came up big, diving low to deny Emmanuel Amankwah from the spot and preserving Kotoko’s lead.
Despite late pressure from the Phobians, Kotoko held on, with the final whistle met by jubilation from their faithful.With this victory, Kotoko add a ninth President’s Cup trophy to their cabinet, reaffirming their dominance in this historic rivalry and boosting morale ahead of the new league season.
