Bibiani Goldstars suffered a heartbreak at the Nana Agyemang Badu Park on Sunday afternoon in a Match-Week 24 encounter after Kelvin Obeng struck twice to earn Aduana Stars an important 2-0 Premier League victory.
The Miners missed the opportunity to leapfrog their hosts and take an enormous step towards CAF Champions League qualification after Emmanuel Kobi was beaten twice by Obeng in the 8th and 11th minutes, respectively.
Victory moves Aduana five points clear of eleventh place as they aim to solidify a position in the top four before the end of the campaign, while Goldstars know they will finish the weekend in third spot with 37 points.
The mid afternoon sun adorned the cacophonous Dormaa grounds and Aduana were willing to absorb more than the blazing daylight during the early stages after their two quickfire goals which gazump Goldstars in frustration, with the hosts sitting deep and soaking up consistent pressure from their visitors. It was the expected pattern of play prior to kick-off and an Aduana side appeared intent on bucking trends.
Inviting Goldstars deep into their own third proved costly in the opening exchanges, however, with Kelvin Obeng rattling home twice within a space of three minutes after being given too much room to engineer those shots to score. The 25-year-old forward's first thunderous drive from range served as Goldstars first major warning sign, which they failed to see as it resulted in a goal, before he added another within a space of three minutes.
Despite their territorial dominance - at half-time - Goldstars struggled to conjure many meaningful opportunities during the first half. An expected goal they usually score at never-imagined time arguably flattered the visitors, who were unable to unlock Aduana's watertight rearguard.
There were few alterations to the flow of the encounter after the restart and Cioba Aristica was forced to turn to his star-studded bench for inspiration. Sam Adams and Agyemang Ray both entered the fray as the Fire Boys attempted to up the intensity with 30 minutes to spare.
Miners goalkeeper Emmanuel Kobi morphed into the villain in the final minutes as Aduana snatched a vital victory. Kelvin Obeng once again took aim at his two goals, as he almost produced a stoppage-time third goal but 22-year-old Kobi's palms were too strong on this occasion as he parried the near-post effort. Ultimately, Aduana held firm to secure a good clean sheet and three crucial points.
By: Pascal Amoah
