Meteors qualification in doubt
ABC/Premier League results at a glance
Meteors qualification in doubt
Johannesburg (South Africa) 13 March 2000
The chances of Ghana’s Olympic team, the Black Meteors, qualifying for the Sydney 2000 Olympics has become doubtful after the team went down in their last but one game of the qualifying series.
The Meteors lost away by a lone goal to the Amaglug-glug of South Africa on Saturday.
Two wins, one draw and two defeats leaves the Meteors at third place in Group B with seven points behind Cameroon who top the table with 12 points and South Africa second with 10.
The only chance now left for the Meteors to qualify is to beat Cameroon in Accra convincingly to come out as the best second-placed team among Groups A, B and C for the Africa zone for a play-off with New Zealand for the fourth ticket.
Ghana played very well and managed to hold their opponents at bay in an uneventful first half.
With twenty minutes remaining in the second half, Stanton Fredericks had the easiest job of tapping the ball into the net of the Ghanaians after keeper Sammy Adjei pushed out Lebohang Kukane’s goal-bound header to win the day for his side.
GRi../
Accra (Greater Accra) 13 March 2000
Nkawkaw: Okwawu 2 B.A. United 0
Tamale: RTU 0 Hearts 1
Accra: Olympics 1 Goldfields 3
Kumasi: Kotoko 1 Ghapoha 2
Accra: Liberty 1 K.Faisal 0
Sunyani: Bofoakwa 1 Dwarfs 1
Dawu: Dawu 0 Power 0
Asuom: Kwaebibirim 0 Hasaacas 1
GRi
It was thrills, shocks and surprises as the 2000 National Premier League took off on Sunday 12th March at all the eight centres. Defending champions, Accra Hearts of Oak managed a lone goal away victory over Real Tamale United but Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Great Olympics made heavy weather at home when they were beaten 2-1 and 3-1 respectively by Tema Ghapoha and Obuasi Goldfields.
The two new entrants, B.A. United and Kwaebibirim United had a baptismal of fire when they were beaten 0 - 2 and 0 - 1 to Okwahu United and Sekondi Hasaacas respectively.
At the Accra Sports Stadium, Accra Great Olympics ran into a 23rd minute first half lead but Obuasi Goldfields returned fire in the second half of their game to dent the “Dade” spirit with three spectacular goals that secured them the three points at stake.
It was one match that justified the investment made by Goldfields in Guinean imports, Abdul Sylla and Momo Wadel as they turned the Olympics defence inside out in the last 45 minutes with either of them hitting the back of the net to win the day for the miners after team mate Stephen Amo had secured the equaliser.
The match kicked off in a whirlwind fashion with Olympics entertaining the fairly large crowd at the stadium to some good football. Playmaker, Joshua Amui Quaye and Wisdom Abbey came up with very good dribbles that created openings in Goldfields defence but stalwart defender Princeton Owusu Ansah, Yaw Owusu and Tony Baffoe thwarted their final efforts.
Quaye could have put Olympics ahead in the seventh minute but his shot from inside the penalty box flew narrowly off target. Abbey too missed his chance when in the 13th minute Owusu Ansah stretched full length from behind to clear the ball from his feet to corner with the resultant kick going wayward.
Goldfields replied the attack and nearly went ahead through Eric Boakye whose drive from 20metres was tipped over the bar with difficulty by goalkeeper David Sharpe in post for Olympics.
In the 23rd minute, blue and white shirted Olympics managed to put the ball in the Goldfields net. It was Amui Quaye who paced upfront to head a floating one unto the path of Nurudeen Raja to tap coolly into Goldfields net.
In the second half Goldfields changed their tactical play and pushed more men forward in search of a goal but they found Olympics’ rear-men pivoted around Nii Noi Dowouna and Fuseini Salifu unyielding.
Spurred on by the equaliser, Goldfields attacked incessantly with “dangerman” Sylla giving his opponents very anxious moments.
In the 72nd minute, a two-man move between him and Wadel saw the latter with a curling kick that beat goalkeeper Sharpe for Goldfields second goal. Sylla made victory certain for his side when he raced past a host of Olympics defenders to plant a lovely one in the net in the 83rd minute leaving Olympics fans at the stadium angry with coach J.A. Sarpong for what they saw as defeat through wrongful substitutions.
More
Kumasi (Ashanti):
For the second season running, Kumasi Asante Kotoko failed in their bid to tame Tema Ghapoha, which is fast becoming their bogey side. The harbour boys stormed Kumasi to inflict a painful 2-1 defeat on Kotoko who in the pre-season had put up impressive performances to raise high the hopes of their fans. Ghapoha beat Kotoko by a lone goal at the same venue last season.
Not even the massive recruitment made by Kotoko could turn the tide in their favour as Ghapoha took a commanding two-goal lead before the Fabulous boys clawed one back.
As early as the seventh minute, Mensah Pomayie shot the harbour boys into the lead when after moving dangerously on the left flank he let go a powerful left footer that zoomed into the roof of the net.
Determined to carry the day, the visitors played it tight and made Kotoko look ordinary as they captured the midfield and looked poised for more goals. However, it was slippery Augustine Amponsah of the fabulous boys who nearly won his side an equaliser when his shot flew inches across the bar in the 18th minute.
Left off the hook, Ghapoha threw the stadium into silence when forward player Hope Doe Aziz fired from 30 metres to surprisingly beat goalkeeper Oscar Assamoah for the second goal of the afternoon.
Sensing danger, Kotoko replaced Asamoah with Samuel Quansah and threw more men forward. They managed to pull a goal back in the 44th minute when Michael (Fish) Ofori scored from a freekick.
In the second half, Kotoko brought on Prince Adu Poku for Lawrence Adjah Tetteh and fought hard for the equaliser but Ghapoha’s defence stood resolute, shielding their thin lead until the final whistle.
More
Tamale (Northern Region):
Champion club, Accra Hearts of Oak began this year’s league on a bright note when they won 1-0 away against Real Tamale United (RTU) in Tamale.
It was a match that the Phobians dominated play, especially in the second half, and could have won by a wider margin but good goalkeeping by RTU’s Mohammed Suraju saved the northerners from humiliation.
In the 52nd minute however goal king, Ishmael Addo could not be denied a goal as he hit the back of RTU’s net for the only goal of the match.
More
B.A. United gave their opponents moments of worry but try as they did they could not claw back Okwawu’s lead.
The homesters sealed their doom with another goal in the 83rd minute from a goalmouth scramble.
At Asuom in the Eastern Region, another new entrant, Kwaebibirim United fought gallantly against the might of Sekondi Hasaacas but their best was not enough to contain the power from Sekondi as they lost in their encounter by a lone goal.
Goal getter John Ainoo, netted for Hasmal with four minutes of playing time left.
Tano Bofoakwa managed a hard fought 1-1 draw against visiting Cape Coast Ebusua Dwarfs at the Sunyani Coronation Park in the Brong Ahafo Region.
It took an injury time penalty converted by Bofoakwa’s Anthony Mintah to cancel Dwarfs’ 72nd minute lead which came by way of smallish striker, Matthew Attiogbe.
Dawu Youngsters and Power F/C fought to a standstill in their match honoured at the Dawu Sports Stadium and Liberty Professionals pip King Faisal by a lone goal at Koforidua. Both centres are in the Eastern Region.
GRi
Accra (Greater Accra) 13 - 03 - 2000
Team Local/Region P
W D L F A Pts GD
Goldfields Obuasi, Ashanti 1 1 0 0 3 1 3 +2
Okwawu Nkawkaw, Eastern 1 1 0 0 2 0 3 +2
Ghapoha Tema, Gt. Accra 1 1 0 0 2 1 3 +1
Hasaacas Sekondi, Western 1 1 0 0 1 0 3 +1
Hearts Accra, Gt. Accra 1 1 0 0 1 0 3 +1
Liberty Accra, Gt. Accra 1 1 0 0 1 0 3 +1
Bofoakwa Sunyani, Brong Ahafo 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0
Dwarfs Cape Coast, Central 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0
Dawu Dawu, Eastern 1 0 1
0 0 0 1 0
Power
F/C Koforidua, Eastern 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Kwaebibirim Asuom, Eastern 1
0 0 1 0 1 0 -1
RTU Tamale, Northern 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 -1
King
Faisal Kumasi, Ashanti 1 0 0 1 0
1 0 -1
Kotoko Kumasi, Ashanti 1 0
0 1 1 2 0 -1
B.A.
United Sunyani, Brong Ahafo 1 0 0 1 0
2 0 -2
Olympics Accra, Gt. Accra 1 0 0 1 1
3 0 -2
GRi