In what was a frantic and absolutely frenetic encounter, Accra Hearts of Oak beat AS Real Bamako courtesy a late, late Caleb Amankwah strike right on the cusp of the full time whistle, breaking the Malians hearts in what was a high stakes clash for both sides.
The game was hard fought from the beginning, with both teams having created decent openings without any end product.
It felt like one of those games which would end in a goalless draw that had everything except a goal, until Amankwah smashed in to hand victory to the Phobians.
The result meant the Phobians have bowed out of Africa having lost the return fixture 3-0 in Bamako last week.
Here are five things we learned at the Accra Sports stadium.
The Caleb Amankwah show
Right from the beginning, Amankwah approached this game with an assurance and a swagger that he is not so well-known for.
He was responsible for all the good things in the attacking end, with everything running through him, pulling the strings from midfield, and opening avenues for runners.
Such was Amankwah's brilliance today, that none of the Real Bamako midfielders were able to take away the ball from him.
Ibourahima Sidibe, in particular, bore the brunt of the Amankwah's ire, with the Hearts midfielder absolutely dominating him, passing through him like he were a training cone.
Amankwah crowned a superb performance with the only goal of the game. All-in-all, this was an excellent outing for the Caleb Amankwah, and Ocloo will be hoping for more of the same in the coming months.
More creativity is needed
Pass. Pass. Out wide to Inkoom. Decent cross. Caught by goalkeeper. Rinse. Repeat.
Hearts were just so tame going forward and clearly are crying out for somebody capable of unlocking a defence. Real Bamako sat deep and allowed Ocloo's side to pass around the back all game long, safe in the knowledge nothing was actually going to happen.
Awako and Ibrahim tried on occasions to break through the adhesively tight defence of the Malians but their efforts were not enough to trouble them.
No Africa May Benefit Hearts in the Long Run
AS Real Bamako were good, but Hearts were ultimately poor in the first leg.
It will have been disappointing for fans and everyone else involved with the Phobians to be knocked out of the competition at such an early stage, but given the demands on the squad and what the club is keen to achieve, it it perhaps for the best that there won't be further distractions and potentially long trips between Premier League fixtures.
Rashid Okine adds another dimension to Hearts
Since joining from Banana Inn the debate around whether Rashid Okine will primarily play in defence or midfield has rumbled on.
There's no doubt the youngster's versatility was key in Hearts' decision to sign the player and judging by Sunday's performance, he plays a huge part in the team's build-up regardless of where he starts on paper.
He often tucked into the midfield to assist in the press, made overlapping runs down the left-flank and played passes through the eye of a needle in order to break lines and instigate attacking phases of play.
There are still some questions regarding his defensive capabilities but there's no doubt that Okine adds another dimension to the Hearts attack.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Daniel Afriyie Barnie- it showed
From the off, Barnie was on a mission to justify himself as to why he deserves a place in Otto Addo's team for the World Cup next month.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t his day; he was pulled from pillar to post by the Malian defence and rarely played in by those around him; understandably, he found it tough to hide his frustration.
There could be several reasons behind his poor run of form. Maybe he is lacking confidence or he is overworked and needs a bit of rest, or maybe his manager (s) tactics have rendered him ineffective in recent games.
By: Godfred Budu
