A 79th-minute goal from Albert Amoah handed Asante Kotoko a perfect start to the 2025-26 Ghana Premier League season at the Golden City Park in Berekum.
Asante Kotoko delivered an impressive second-half performance to inflict a painful 1-0 home defeat on Samuel Boadu's side in the opening fixture on Saturday afternoon.
Berekum Chelsea dominated in the early minutes of the game, with Richard Osei coming close to opening the scoring in the 5th minute, but his effort went wide.
Asante Kotoko had a slow start but made a few incursions, with Albert Amoah failing to beat Chelsea goalkeeper Emmanuel Adu in a one-on-one situation to open his goal-scoring account in the 15th minute.
Four minutes later, Faisal Shaibu nearly found his name on the score sheet, but his strike was denied by the post.
The Porcupine Warriors were shaken by an early injury to Kwame Opoku and struggled to find their groove in the first half. Opoku lasted only 21 minutes before being replaced by Guinean striker Morifing Donzo, who marked his debut for the last season's FA Cup champions.
Donzo's celebration for his debut Ghana Premier League goal was cut short when his tap-in finish was flagged offside in the 34th minute.
Former Bechem United midfielder Seth Kwadwo made a timely goal-line clearance in the 48th minute to rescue the Porcupine Warriors from conceding from a corner kick.
Coach Abdul Karim Zito made a tactical substitution with the introduction of Walid Fuseini and Hubert Gyau as replacements for Seth Kwadwo and Philip Amoh before the hour mark.
The presence of the duo proved to be a game-changing moment for Asante Kotoko, as they piled up intense pressure on the hosts to concede the only goal.
Emmanuel Antwi was denied by the Chelsea goalkeeper after delivering an audacious strike in the 72nd minute, as his side dominated all departments of the game.
Amoah, who scored late against Berekum Chelsea to secure last season's FA Cup final spot for Asante Kotoko, popped up once again with a 79th-minute goal to power the Porcupine Warriors to a famous win at the Golden City Park. He brilliantly slotted a well-delivered long pass from Hubert Gyau and placed it firmly past the Chelsea goalkeeper.
Asante Kotoko will now switch their attention to the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary match against Kwara United of Nigeria at the Accra Sports Stadium next weekend.
