After the painful defeat to Inter Allies on Match Day Three of the Ghana Premier League, Hearts of Oak were poised to pick up their first points in a cracking encounter with Karela United at the Accra Sports Stadium last Friday.
However, their frustrations increased after points were shared in the fierce barren draw with visiting Karela.
Hearts nearly snatched the opener after Patrick Razak’s cross went wide in the ninth minute. A minute later, Karela saw a block from skipper Mohammed Alhassan to deny them the lead, while a rebound from Richard Berko flew out of play.
Centre referee Gabriel Opoku flashed the first yellow to Karela’s Franklin Osei after a late tackle on Ansah Botchway.
Despite enjoying the lion’s share of the possession, Mohammed Alhassan’s effort hit the side of the net after Razak sent in a cross from an infringement. It was, indeed, a wearisome first half for the Phobians.
Coach Asare Bediako introduced Umar Manaf for Dominic Eshun a minute after recess as the Phobians looked to grab the opener, but Michelle Sarpong saw his rebound effort missed after goalkeeper Yaw Ansah punched out a deflected shot for a corner.
Karela United had the goal post to thank after Michelle Sarpong’s left drive hit the cross-bar minutes into the second half.
As the tempo of the game grew, Karela United brought on Joseph Cudjoe for Franklin Osei to add more creativity in midfield.
Recent brace hero against AshGold, Kojo Obeng, came on for Abednego Tetteh on the hour mark to add more urgency to the forward line as Karela also brought on Richard Baidoo for injured goalie Yaw and Umar Bashiru for Kwame Boateng.
The last 10 minutes went for Hearts when Kojo Obeng Junior decided to go for personal glory and ended up blasting wide his effort inside the penalty box. Minutes on, Razak also failed to direct his header which rolled into the hands of Richard Baidoo as Karela earned a hard-fought point.
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