Asante Kotoko came from behind to defeat rivals Hearts of Oak 2-1 and clinch the 2025 Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) President’s Cup at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday.
In a match filled with drama, including a goalkeeping blunder, an own goal, a missed penalty, and a disallowed goal, the Porcupine Warriors showed resilience to extend their unbeaten run against Hearts to six games.
Hamza Issah opened the scoring for Hearts of Oak in the first half, capitalising on a mistake by goalkeeper Mohamed Camara. Hearts dominated early proceedings and deserved their lead at the break.
However, Kotoko responded strongly in the second half. Defender Konadu Yiadom turned a cross into his own net to bring the Porcupine Warriors level. Moments later, Kwame Opoku punished poor defending with a simple finish to make it 2-1.
Hearts thought they had equalised late on, but their goal was ruled out for offside, an incident that sparked protest from fans, with missiles thrown onto the pitch. Emmanuel Amankwah then missed a penalty that could have forced a shootout.
President John Dramani Mahama, in whose honour the match was played, was in attendance. Kotoko now has nine President’s Cup titles, while Hearts remain on six.
