The Porcupine Warriors stunned the Phobians in front of their home crowd thanks to a first-half strike that proved decisive in a tightly contested encounter.
Kotoko began the match with purpose, taking control of the early exchanges and creating some promising moments through the likes of Saaka Dauda and Hubert Gyau. Hearts of Oak were slow to settle, their usual tempo somewhat disrupted in the opening phase.
The decisive moment arrived just before half-time when Kotoko were awarded a penalty after Amankwah Baafi brought down Peter Amidu Acquah inside the box.
Guinean forward Morifing Donzo calmly stepped up to convert from the spot, sending the visiting fans into celebration.
In the second half, Hearts of Oak responded with more aggression. They enjoyed periods of sustained possession, probed the Kotoko defence and had a few shots from distance.
Kotoko, for their part, defended resolutely, maintained their organisation, and absorbed the pressure when required.
Hearts thought they found a late equaliser through Mawuli Wayo, but the whistle was blown for offside even before his acrobatic effort hit the back of the net. The game ended 1-0 in favour of the Porcupine Warriors, who climb to seventh on the league table with 13 points, just five points behind the leaders despite having three games in hand.
Hearts of Oak, meanwhile, suffered their first league defeat of the season, slipping to fifth in the standings. The Phobians will look to bounce back quickly when they face Swedru All Blacks next weekend, while Kotoko turn their focus to an away trip against Vision FC.
Kotoko’s dominance in recent meetings
Asante Kotoko have firmly held the upper hand in this iconic fixture in recent seasons. The Porcupine Warriors have won four of the last five league meetings against Hearts of Oak, underlining their superiority in the modern era of the Super Clash.
The only fixture in that run where Kotoko failed to win was a 0-0 draw last season at the Accra Sports Stadium. Although Hearts beat Kotoko 2-0 in the GHALCA Top 4 before the start of this campaign, that was only a pre-season friendly and not a competitive league encounter.
Kotoko’s latest victory in Accra once again highlighted their composure and ability to rise to the occasion in Ghana’s most fiercely contested football rivalry.
What the coaches said
Kotoko head coach Karim Zito insisted the right mindset and attitude made the difference:
“Everybody knows Hearts and Kotoko, how difficult it is. You see the supporters today, everybody is happy. It was very difficult, but the mindset was there to win this game because winning this game would help us towards our objective.”
“Hard work, dedication and attitude did the magic for us. I plead with the fans to be patient with the players. We will be back in Africa soon.”
Hearts coach Didi Dramani felt his side had been unfortunate not to take anything from the match:
“We lost. I think we didn’t deserve to lose, in my opinion, and everyone who observed the game, not just watching. The match was closely contested, and the outcome wasn’t what we expected. We have identified some challenges and strengths, and there are key learning moments we can take forward.”
The next Super Clash between these two will be on Matchday 22, when Kotoko will host Hearts of Oak in Kumasi.
