February 10, 2025

Hearts of Oak Defeat Legon Cities to Move Up to Second in GPL 2024/25 Standings

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Hearts of Oak Defeat Legon Cities

Accra Hearts of Oak continued their impressive form with a 1-0 victory over Legon Cities in their first Premier League match of 2025. The only goal of the match came from midfielder Ramzy Yussif, who scored just before halftime, helping Hearts secure an important three points.

The match was notable for Legon Cities, as they had just appointed Yaw Acheampong as their new head coach following the departure of Paa Kwesi Fabin. Acheampong, formerly the manager of Aduana Stars, made three changes to the lineup for his debut game in charge. Morris Fuseini, Aaron Quartey, and Nicholas Nti replaced Frederick Akatuk, Frederick Ofori, and Bruce Tagoe, respectively. Despite the changes, Legon Cities entered the game with a difficult record, having lost four consecutive matches and sitting at the bottom of the league table with only 11 points from 15 matches.

From the outset, Legon Cities looked determined to break their losing streak, showing good attacking intent. Albert Yeboah was particularly influential, making several runs forward. In one such instance, Yeboah set up Mohammed Alidu with a chance to score, but Alidu struggled to maintain his balance, missing what could have been a glorious opportunity to put his team ahead.

Midway through the first half, Legon Cities came close to opening the scoring. Emmanuel Amankwaah fouled Williams Adjei just outside the penalty box, giving them a free kick. Quartey’s effort from the set piece was deflected for a corner, and Amankwaah received the match’s first yellow card for his foul.

Despite their dominance, Legon Cities struggled to find the breakthrough. In the 33rd minute, they had another promising opportunity when Kwabena Asamoah was found unmarked at the end of a Theophilus Collison cross. With all the time in the world to score, Asamoah missed the target, a glaring missed chance.

Hearts of Oak, on the other hand, were looking dangerous going forward, and in the 36th minute, Collison once again delivered a cross, this time finding Hamza Issa. The striker was unmarked inside the penalty area, but he failed to make contact with the ball, allowing Hussein Mohammed to attempt a shot, but it was off-target.

Just before halftime, Hearts finally broke the deadlock through Ramzy Yussif. The midfielder picked up the ball on the edge of the penalty area, weaved through several defenders, and calmly slotted the ball past Legon Cities’ goalkeeper, Kwame Aziz, to give Hearts of Oak a 1-0 lead. It was a brilliant individual effort from Yussif, and it was his second goal of the season, sending Hearts into the break with the advantage.

In the second half, Legon Cities tried to fight back, and they came close in the 55th minute. Amoah fired a shot from close range, but Hearts’ goalkeeper, Benjamin Asare, was alert and made the save, keeping his team ahead.

As the match wore on, the situation worsened for Legon Cities. With eight minutes left on the clock, Amankwaah received his second yellow card for kicking the ball away after committing a foul against Hearts. His dismissal left Legon Cities with 10 men, further hindering their chances of equalizing.

Despite the man advantage, Hearts of Oak managed to control the closing stages of the match. Even though six minutes of added time were played, the Phobians held firm to secure the victory and extend their strong run. This win marked their sixth victory in their last eight matches.

The result lifted Hearts of Oak to second place on the league table with 28 points, just two points behind the league leaders, Kpando Heart of Lions. Legon Cities, meanwhile, remain at the bottom of the table, still struggling with just 11 points from 16 matches.

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