An 87th minute strike by substitute
midfielder, Albert Bruce and two goals from Nafiu Iddrisu, one
in each half propelled Kumasi Asante Kotoko to a hard fought 3-2
win over division one side, Deportivo FC in Wednesday’s MTN FA
Cup match at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
Striker Nafiu Iddrisu opened the scoring for
Asante Kotoko after 30 minutes of grueling action by connecting
a Michael Akuffu well taken corner kick.
However, the lower division side, playing a
purposefully aggressive game, equalised nine minutes later
through Tahiru Malik who beat the tall Kotoko defence in an
aerial tussle to head home Joseph Gordon’s well floated corner
kick.
The hero of the day, Nafiu Idrissu, with
only 4 minutes into the second half, again soared high above all
he surveyed in the penalty box to get his head accurately to a
powerful free kick taken by Michael Akuffu outside the goal
area.
Kotoko fans from then on sat on tenterhooks
as Deportivo FC bravely fought back in the 65th minute when
trusted central defender, Awal Mohammed poorly handled the ball
at the back.
Being the last man in Kotoko’s rear, Awal
Mohammed could have done better with a timely clearance but he
attempted at dribbling and dreadfully lost his balance, and
onrushing substitute player, Prince Anaman said thank you by
pouncing on the loose ball to put it at the top right corner of
the net, far beyond the reach of the goalkeeper Isaac Amoako.
It was a painful moment for the passionate
Kotoko following who turned up quite well on the evening to back
their steadily rising team.
However, it was not a fantastic showing from
the Porcupine Warriors whose resolve to win the game was to a
larger extent tested by their unfancied opponents.
Kotoko at a point seemed exhausted but they
persevered to the end, winning eventually courtesy an Albert
Bruce perfect strike from a goalmouth melee.
Flying on high wavelength following their
sweet triumph over Hearts in Accra, many had tipped Kotoko to
run over Deportivo FC but it nearly turned out to be a
nightmarish experience, as Deportivo FC backed by their handful
of fans including journalists at the media tribune, fought
gallantly to attempt an upset.
Besides the three changes made by Coach
Bogdan Korak to his starting line-up that somewhat affected the
overall performance of the team, it is fair to state that
Deportivo were really strong.
Nafiu Iddrisu, Louis Quainoo and Samed
Oppong were the three players who did not feature against Hearts
but were fielded in Wednesday’s evening duel.
Quainoo showed flashes of brilliance whereas
Man of the Match, Nafiu Iddrisu worked vigorously to get onto
the score sheet. Samed Oppong whose place was taken by
enterprising Fatawu Mohammed after 73 minutes was however not
convincing.
The two other second half substitutions;
Albert Bruce for Frank Boateng and Stephen Oduro for Alex
Asamoah added a bit of liveliness and purpose to the Kotoko’s
game.
Alex Asamoah’s contribution in attack was
woeful and that apparently necessitated his substitution in the
53rd minute.
Coach Bogdan Korak was delighted with the
character shown by his team and especially the win which
consequently sets up another grueling home encounter in the
1/16th round against defending league champions Aduana Stars.
“The players exhausted their strength
against Hearts. All the same they gave their best. Twice we
scored, twice they equalised. It shows that the team has got a
strong character. That is what we want to see. Gradually, the
team is coming up” said Coach Korak who also praised the
opposing team.
“It was difficult match for us but we tried
to match them. Our opponents were hard. I respect them but we
had to beat them. We did that but again, I have a lot of respect
for them. They were very strong,” he told Kotoko Express in a
post match interview.
Kotoko line-up: Isaac Amoako, Yaw Frimpong, Louis Quainoo,
John Kuffour, Mohammed Awal, Michael Akuffu, Daniel Nii Adjei,
Frank Boateng/Albert Bruce, Nafiu Iddrisu, Alex Asamoah/Stephen
Oduro, Samed Oppong/Fatawu Mohammed.
Deportivo FC: Owusu Ansah Dacosta, Ibrahim Suraj, Innusah
Farouk, Nimo Asamoah Anthony, Frimpong Nana Tuffour Edward,
Alhassan Abdul Rahim, Nyarko Martin Osei, Gordon Joseph, Armah
Gabriel, Abdulai Boss Yasir, Tahiru Malik.
