An own goal and a brace by teenage sensation Hamza Issah were all the Phobians needed to bring smiles back to the faces of their demanding fans.
The Rainbow boys needed this victory badly especially at back of their listless performances lately.
Here are the 4 things we learnt from the Accra Sports stadoum as Hearts record their second win of the season.
Koopman's game plan was spot on for Hearts
Heading into this game, Hearts needed to show their teeth from the off. But their coach, Martin Koopman, urged caution from his side; he wanted a cool, calm calculated display all round, something that would contrast his recent approach to games. Fully aware of Medeama's attacking threat, Hearts held back on going for the jugular.
Instead, thanks to Koopman, the Phobians bided their time until Salifu Ibrahim's corner kick was misdjuded by Medeama goalkeeper Appiah Kubi to break the deadlock for the Phobians.
The fans had been growing restless until the deadlock was broken, but containing the visitors and coming alive later on was always in his script and from the key moment they controlled the game. With the amount of calumny, the Hearts gaffer has been entreated to, Koopman deserves huge credit for an impressive result.
Two-man strike force benefits Hearts
Rather than use Kashala Wanet Ramos as the focal point in attack, Koopman instead deployed the Congolese forward alongside the budding forward, Hamza Issah in a 4-4-2 formation.
While some may have expected Ramos to be the most advanced striker, the Congolese international instead looked to drop deep and leave Issah as the furthest man forward with Enock Asubonteng and Ibrahim Salifu making runs behind the strike pair as when and required. Issah often moved to the flanks in search of possession in a bid to help spread play.
With the space vacated by Asubonteng and Salifu, and their markers dragged out of position, Issah looked dangerous and it wasn’t surprised to see him score a brace on the day and his third of the season after only three appearances.
Hamza Issah gives Hearts a new lease of life
The Phobians have regularly been undermined by a lack of pace and goalscoring prowess in the final third. All too often, Martin Koopman's lads' little-to-no threat when it really mattered. Not now, for with the presence of Hamza Issah, Koopman's side finally have at least one player capable of hitting the back of the net with some sort of regularity. Issah's willing running and skills sparked something in both a quiet stadium and his teammates to swing the balance Hearts' way in the first half.
His example in pressing intelligently from the front encouraged others to follow suit. His performance gave supporters a tantalizing glimpse of what they’ve been missing for some time now.
He got a brace to crown a wonderful day. If he continues in this vein, he will surely be one of the players to replace Asamoah Gyan in the Black Stars.
Medeama gave good account of themselves
The scoreline may hint at a comfortable game for the Phobians, but that was not the case for periods of the game. Granted, Hearts did create numerous chances and could even have won by a healthier margin, Evans Adotey's charges are accomplished in possession and willingness to try and play around the Hearts press; although they did not have many scoring opportunities of their own in the second half, they did a good job of disrupting their opponent’s rhythm and making it difficult for Hearts to build up a head of steam after the interval.
This was a disappointing-if expected-result from a Medeama perspective, but there were still positives to take from their display.
