Hearts of Oak’s impressive winning streak under new coach Aboubakar Ouattara came to an end on Monday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Bofoakwa Tano at the WAFA Park in Sogakope.
Despite dominating large parts of the game and taking the lead through Salifu Ibrahim’s precision strike, the Phobians were unable to hold on for the victory.
Hearts of Oak started strongly, creating several chances and dictating the pace of the game. Their pressure paid off in the 23rd minute when Ibrahim beat his marker and fired past the Bofoakwa goalkeeper into the near post.
Salifu Ibrahim's brilliant finish puts Hearts in front.@HeartsOfOakGH 1-0 @bofoakwatano
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— StarTimes Ghana (@startimesghana) March 11, 2024
The goal marked Ibrahim’s third of the season and capped off an excellent first-half display from the home team.
However, Bofoakwa refused to lie down and fought their way back into the game in the second half. They were rewarded for their efforts in the 59th minute when Emmanuel Agyenim capitalised on some sloppy defending from Hearts of Oak’s Kofi Agbesimah to tap into an empty net.
Agbesimah, who was named captain just last week, failed to clear a cross properly, allowing Agyenim to pounce on the loose ball and score the equaliser.
Emmanuel Agyenim's equalizer@HeartsOfOakGH 1-1 @bofoakwatano
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— StarTimes Ghana (@startimesghana) March 11, 2024
Ouattara’s side pushed hard for the winner, but Bofoakwa’s resilience proved too much to break down. The visitors held on for a valuable point, which sees them remain without a win since early November but also ends Hearts of Oak’s two-game winning streak.
The result leaves Hearts of Oak in eighth place, seven points adrift of the league leaders.