In an exciting match, Kumasi Asante Kotoko defeated Nsoatreman FC 2-1 to win the J.A. Kufuor Cup at Baba Yara Stadium yesterday, earning their first trophy of the year.
Important goals from Steven Mukwala and Peter Amidu after the break helped the Porcupine Warriors win the match, displaying a tremendous will to fight back from a goal down in the first half.
With vital assists on the two goals that sealed their cup victory, Richmond Lamptey displayed a captain’s performance.
Ugandan striker Mukwala gave Kotoko a 56th-minute draw, and Amidu gave the home team the win in the 67th.
Under the direction of former Kotoko coach Maxwell Konadu, Nsoatreman FC appeared more collected and determined in the first half, controlling the game’s tempo. They applied constant pressure to the Porcupine Warriors, who were constantly restarting the game by passing the ball to their keeper, Frederick Asare.
Abdul Rahman Mohammed headed in the first goal from a corner kick during additional time in the first half, leaving Kotoko’s goalkeeper Asare alone between his posts. This was proof that Nsoatreman’s pressure had paid off.
After the break, Kotoko tried to even the score by getting better with the ball and pressing their opponents. Kotoko won a corner kick in the 55th minute, which Lamptey took beautifully for Mukwala to connect home, relieving the fans who had been waiting nervously up until that point.
After Nurudeen Mohammed fouled an opponent in the 18-yard box, Nsoatreman was awarded a penalty two minutes later, giving them the opportunity to take the lead again.
To the relief of the home crowd, Maanaf Adbul Umar missed his kick, though. In the 67th minute, Lamptey’s long pass from the center circle to Amidu’s exquisite finish past Nsoatreman FC substitute goalkeeper Denni Votere in the posts gave Kotoko the lead.
Manaaf had another opportunity to tie the score in the 92nd minute, this time with only an empty post in front of him, but to the dismay of his teammates, his header off a pass from Richard Acquaah went over the bar as Kotoko held on to win the trophy held in memory of former President John Agyekum Kufuor, who was once Kotoko’s board chairman.
