Hearts of Oak ended a difficult year on a high note, securing a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bechem United in the final match of the first round of the Ghana Premier League.
The Phobians had struggled in recent weeks, failing to win in five games prior to Sunday’s match, and looked set to end the year with a draw after dominating the match but missing a late penalty. H
owever, midfielder Ibrahim Salifu set up Martin Karikari to score the winner with literally the last kick of the game, giving Hearts of Oak the three points and ending their poor run of form.
The win sees Hearts of Oak move up to ninth place in the league table, with a lot of work still to be done in the second half of the season if they are to mount a serious challenge for the title. Bechem United, on the other hand, dropped to seventh place following the late defeat.
In other matches played on Sunday, Aduana FC reclaimed second position with a dominant 4-1 win over Dreams FC, with Bright Adjei scoring a hat-trick in the final 20 minutes of the match.
Heart of Lions finally got their first win of the season, beating Berekum Chelsea 2-0, while Nations FC thrashed Nsoatreman 4-1 and Great Olympics compounded Real Tamale United’s problems with a 1-0 win.