Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko have recorded one competitive win each in the last nine matches in all competitions between the two sides.
In terms of non-competitive fixtures the Fabulous club lead with two wins against one of the Phobians.
Following the back to back victories of Paa Kwesi Fabin’s side against Seth Hoffman’s charges we look at how the teams have fared in the last nine matches.
In all both sides have been winners three times each whilst the other three games ended in stalemates.
1.Sun 19 March 2017 – Hearts of Oak 1 Asante Kotoko 0. The Week 8 Ghana Premier League match at the Accra Sports stadium was decided by an 84th minute Vincent Atingah penalty in a controversial game. Referee Samuel Sukah adjudged defender Ahmed Adams handled the ball from a Samuel Yeboah strike and awarded the Phobians a penalty. Atingah stepped forward to take it and made no mistake. This decision polarized somewhat a nationwide debate as one side , majority of who were Phobians saw the penalty as a legitimate one whilst other group dominated by Kotoko fans felt their team was hard done by.
2.Monday 1 May- Hearts of Oak 3 Asante Kotoko 1. Hearts of Oak made it two wins in a row over their rivals. Head coach Frank Nuttall was not present but assistant coach Henry Wellington did the job to satisfaction. This was the first leg of the Ghana @60 anniversary game and goals from Kwame Kizito, Thomas Abbey and Patrick Razak were enough for the Phobians to inflict defeat number 2 on their sworn rivals. Kizito came of the bench to make the most out of a goalkeeping blunder by Felix Annan to score the first goal of the game. Awal Mohammed fetched the equalizer for Frimpong Manso’s side but Hearts of Oak , thanks to the dominating presence of midfield sensation Winful Cobbinah that day , overpowered the Fabulous boys scoring two more goals in the last ten minutes of the game through Abbey and Razak.
3.Monday 2 July 2017 – Asante Kotoko 0 Hearts of Oak 0. Kotoko bounced back to lift the GHALCA President’s Cup. This game, rained-off the previous day when the scoreline was 1-1 ended goalless the next day and Kotoko won 4-1 in the penalty shootout with Sadick Adams scoring the winning kick with a deft Panenka against goalkeeper Benjamin Mensah. Kotoko fans laugh for the first time.
4.Wed 6 August 2017 – Asante Kotoko 1 Hearts of Oak 1. This GPL Week 23 fixture scheduled for 16 July had to be postponed due to the 12 July Kotoko road accident at Nkawkaw. When it was finally played on August 6, it failed to produce a winner. Kwame Kizito’s striker was canceled by a Sadick Adams penalty.
5.Sun 29 October 2017 – Hearts of Oak 1 Asante Kotoko 3. FA Cup final. Sadick Adams first half hat trick condemned the Phobians and suppressed the Never Say Die spirit. The league season had ended with Hearts finishing third and Kotoko fifth. This was a single game that presented the highest stakes. A major silverware and a ticket to Africa and it was the Porcupine Warriors who reigned supreme in this mammoth battle. Thomas Abbey threatened a comeback but Adams had already done an irredeemable harm.
6.Sun 24 December 2017 – Asante Kotoko 0 Hearts of Oak 0. The second leg of the Ghana @60 anniversary game took place at the Babayara. Guest and unregistered players were allowed to be used by any side that wished to do so. Kotoko coach Steven Polack named new signing Sylla Vie Mohammed in the starting line-up and provided spaces for Jordan Opoku, Kojo Addae on the bench as Hearts boss Frank Nuttall handed former Dwarfs full back Christopher Bonney a start.
7.Sunday 29 April 2018 – Asante Kotoko 0 Hearts of Oak 1 – A Patrick Razak goal won the league game for the visiting Phobians following a spirited second half performance from Winful Cobbinah and his friends.
8.Sunday 26 August 2018 – Hearts of Oak 0 Asante Kotoko 2. This was the first leg of the Tabea Super Clash as a brilliant brace by Songne Yacouba handed the Porcupine Warriors a big advantage.
9.Sunday 2 September 2018– Asante Kotoko 2 Hearts of Oak 0. Obed Owusu and Emmanuel Gyamfi both came off the bench to score in the second half to condemn Hearts of Oak to back to back defeats in the friendly encounter as the nation continue to wait for the FIFA normalisation committee to be named.
