Hearts of Oak extended their undefeated streak in the Ghana Premier League to eight matches following a hard-fought triumph over Heart of Lions on Monday evening at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.
The win came despite being reduced to ten men during the match.
Lions had the better chances in the early stages of the game and deservedly opened the scoring just before halftime. Mustapha Yakubu scored a well-taken free kick from the edge of the penalty area, giving goalkeeper Richard Attah no chance.
Hearts reacted quickly after the break when midfielder Salim Adams headed home a free kick delivered by Martin Karikari in the 49th minute, levelling the score. However, left-back Dennis Nkrumah Korsah received a straight red card shortly after, leaving his team with only ten players.
Despite being down a man, Hearts continued to push forward and took the lead for the first time in the 64th minute. Congolese midfielder Linda Mtange capitalised on a rebound from Adams’ long-range effort, securing the win for Hearts.
With this result, coach Aboubakar Ouattara maintains his impressive record as Hearts coach, having achieved three victories and two draws in his initial five games in charge.