Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak shared the spoils at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on matchday 3 of the Ghana Premier League.
After a sloppy first half by the two sides, the second half brought life into the game.
Yusif Mubarik gave Kotoko the lead in the 57th minute, scoring from a rebound before Caleb Amakwaah pulled parity for Hearts of Oak on 88 minutes, connecting Suraj Seidu’s freekick.
There have been a lot of talking points after the game as some Kotoko fans were unsatisfied with officiating while local football enthusiasts also shared their concerns regarding the two big clubs in Ghana.
Here are five talking points from Asante Kotoko’s stalemate with Hearts of Oak
Referee Selom Yao Bless
Referee Selom Yao Bless has grabbed the headlines after the match. Many opined that he made poor decisions that affected the score.
Kotoko fans believe Bless robbed them of two penalties and awarded Hearts a goal which should have been ruled out for offside.
Both teams lack quality
Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak both sold a lacklustre game to the fans. The cause of both teams’ subpar performance has been blamed on quality.
Neutrals and the clubs’ fans appear to agree that the two biggest clubs in the country have a long way to go in terms of matches with the continent’s big clubs.
Attendance exceeded expectation
Asante Kotoko, the home team, were eliminated from the CAF Champions League a week prior to the match. In front of their fans, Kotoko lost on penalties to RC Kadiogo.
Following the defeat, there were doubts that the fans would turn up for the game against Hearts in the same numbers that they did for the game against Kadiogo. But the crowd was massive, and many fans ignored the loss to cheer on the Reds, while Hearts fans filled the away stand.
The atmosphere was fantastic and far exceeded expectations.
Samuel Boadu has lost his touch
Many Hearts of Oak supporters are dissatisfied with the team’s recent results and performance.
Some are calling for Samuel Boadu’s head, claiming that the Boadu who has led the team to five trophies in two years has lost his touch.
Hearts of Oak have yet to win in their first three league games, despite playing subpar football in all three.
Steven Mukwala
The Ugandan forward was signed to fill the shoes of Kotoko’s top scorer, Franck Etouga Mbella who has departed the club.
Mukwala is yet to prove himself that he is the right choice to replace Etouga who scored 21 goals for the Kotoko last season.
During the match, he had some decent chances but could not bury them. Mukwala is still yet to net his first official goal for Kotoko after three games.
Source;Ghanaweb