The Saturday night GPL clash between Accra Lions and Heart of Lions at the University of Ghana Stadium promised to be an intriguing encounter between two sides littered with youthful exuberance.
Accra Lions were looking to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat to Holy Stars, while suspended Bashir Hayford’s Heart of Lions aimed to build on their 1-0 win against Berekum Chelsea.
Both teams were impressive defensively this evening, with Accra Lions and Heart of Lions allowing the fewest and second-fewest big chances respectively.
The hosts started the brighter of the two sides, controlling possession and creating the first real chance of the game. In the second minute, Allodoh won a free kick for his side as he was pinned down by Heart of Lions defender Ebenezer Abban.
Accra Lions, however, showed their counter-attacking threat when they mounted intense pressure on the visitors, forcing their defenders to be on their toes. Right from the 15th minute mark, Heart of Lions took control of the match - dishing out some superb interplay, which never produced any threat to the hosts.
The remainder of the first half saw both teams struggling to create clear-cut chances. Accra Lions continued to dominate possession, but Heart of Lions well-organised defence, led by Ebenezer Abban and Bismark Anim, kept the visitors at bay.
The home side's best opportunity came just before half-time when Christian Agyenim Boateng fired a shot which was parried away by Accra Lions goalkeeper Afful.
The second half began with Heart of Lions showing more attacking intent. Obeng Junior failing to tap-in a cross from Agyenim Boateng in the 65th minute. As the half progressed, both coaches made multiple substitutions in an attempt to break the deadlock. Heart of Lions attacker Obeng Junior missed some cut chances in front of goal from the 70th minutes, but his efforts failed to dinked home.
Both coaches made significant changes in the latter stages of the match. Heart of Lions gaffer on the night - Daniel Nii Adjei introduced Ali Fawzi subbed Obeng, while Asante was brought into the game for Boateng, Pong, and Sarpong also coming on respectively. Accra Lions countered by bringing on Edmund Amakye, Lucky Nwafor, and David Akintunde. These changes led to a flurry of late chances, but the match ended blank with no goals to show.
With this draw, Heart of Lions have temporarily moved to the 3rd position on 18 points, while Accra Lions continue napping in the red zone (16th) with nine points.
By: Pascal Amoah
