Last weekend produced possibly the most entertaining match week in this season’s Ghana Premier League.
From Albert Amoah’s spectacular return, Hearts of Oak’s flurry, Wonders woes to Lions pickle, there is so much to talk about. Where to begin?
Deja vu
There was a sense of inevitability when Albert Amoah came on for Yakubu Dogo at half time.
You just knew he would produce something. It was only a matter of when, not if.
And so it was that twenty-eight minutes into his return, Amoah produced a ridiculous bicycle kick from the penalty area for Kotoko’s opener.
Even for someone as technically sound as Amoah is, this was impressive. Kwame Opoku’s failed contact presented the opportunity but he was so close to the ball he had to open his body in a split second before volleying it home.
It was impressive and it was everything Kotoko had missed – a striker who can finish any kind of chance.
Sunday was Amoah’s first match for Kotoko since his ill-fated transfer to Al Ahli Bengharzi three months ago.
While Amoah was holidaying and getting paid in Libya, Donzo Moriging and Kwame Opoku, Kotoko’s strikers, were also pretending to be working.
In 18 matches, Morifing, the highest paid player at the club, scored 4 times. Two of the four goals came against Bechem United.
Kwame Opoku, Kotoko’s other striker, struggled with fitness and personal issues. In the three months that followed Amoah’s exit, Opoku only played 11 matches and scored on three occasions.
Amoah literally took a three month holiday, and is still Kotoko’s joint topscorer in the league on his return with four goals.
You can understand the lightening speed with which Kotoko opened its arms for the ex-lover, a.k.a. Kwame Opoku.
Kotoko would hope that he can inspire a renaissance in their quest to clear the eight-point hurdle between then and league leaders Medeama S.C.
Kotei survives ACL
Albert Amoah made the headlines for scoring but the man who created the chance, Emmanuel Kotei, has an equally compelling story.
In January 2025, Kotoko announced that the right-back had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and would be out for the rest of the season.
The initial assessment suggested that Kotei would be out for eight months.
However, ACL injuries have always been complicated and Kotei is the latest to find out.
It would take a full 385 days before he would return to the pitch.
Apart from the painfully long, lonely recovery process, ACL injuries are dreaded because of how often they alter the playing style of footballers.
Players who rely on pace and athleticism, have been known to lose a yard or two of pace, sudden burst of pace, and physicality.
For a right back, those are fundamental elements of the trade. That is why Kotoko feared the worst when Kotei was diagnosed to have ruptured his ACL.
Yet, in the twenty-eight minutes that Kotei spent on the pitch, when he came on for Lord Amoh, there were no signs that he had lost any of those traits.
Of course it is too early to tell.
But the hope is that, he would continue as he has started.
When it rains…
The theme of familiarity in the Ghana Premier League started on Saturday, when Hearts of Oak spanked Eleven Wonders for three at the University of Ghana Stadium.
Another clean sheet, another day where Hearts of Oak put on a clinic on how not to finish chances, and another day where the “Catch Them Young” supporters group, the juvenile wing of Hearts of Oak’s support base, saved the day.
Sponsored by a passionate fan who would not be named, the kids, mostly handpicked from Madina and its environs, have made a habit of cheering the team to create an atmosphere in the stadium.
It is hardwork considering Hearts of Oak offer next to no entertainment value.
The supporters aside, it was another day to forget for Hearts of Oak’s Hamza Issah and Frank Abora Duku.
Duku made the wrong the decision on many occassions; notably electing to pass from eight yards out when he could have scored.
He was replaced at half time by Issah who promptly missed an open goal from three yards.
Henry Kwaku Boateng, who set up Mawuli Wayo for the opener, also missed an open goal from three yards.
For Hearts fans, it has become painfully evident that Didi Dramani is not responsible for the team’s inability to score goals. Unless the expectation is that, after coaching the team to create chances, he would swap professions, get registered for the league, and substitute himself on to score the goals.
Until then, he would take encouragement from Saturday’s result – the first time Hearts had scored three goals in a competitive match since May 2025.
The Phobians have kept 14 clean sheets in 20 matches, and if only they find a way to score goals, they may yet be in the title race.
Medeama mean business
When Medeama say they want to win the league, they show that ambition in their squad building. They retain their best players from the season before no matter the offers available to them.
That is why as tempting as it was, Medeama went to great lengths to keep Kelvin Nkrumah, Kamaradini Mamudu, Prince Owusu, and Derrick Fordjour.
In the last 18 months, three of those players; Nkrumah, Owusu and Mamudu have been handed call ups, highlighting their quality.
But that’s not all, in keeping with their tradition of making smart signings, Medeama added the gifted but previously inconsistent Salim Adams to their ranks.
Adams has repaid the faith with four goals – all have been match winners. Essentially, has been the difference between draws and victories on four occassions for Medeama. That is eight points won through direct goal contributions.
Salim Adams’d success is a big part of why Medeama are currently unbeaten in 17 league matches. The Tarkwa-based side have not lost since their 1-0 defeat to Karela United on 28th September, 2025.
They have won their last four matches with an aggregate of 9-2 and have a healthy nine-point lead.
In typical, championship winning character, Medeama have an unsullied record at home with 8 wins and 3 draws. They are best performing home team in the division.
Away from home, they are just as impressive with 16 points from 9 matches; the second best in the Division. It is also worth noting that Hearts of Oak, the best performing away team, have only 3 points more than Medeama despite playing two matches more.
They may not win every game. Or finish the season unbeaten. But it is hard to see any team overhauling Medeama’s 8-point lead at the top of the table.
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