By Yussif Ibrahim
Kumasi, April 11, GNA – It was another defeat for Asante Kotoko at the Baba Yara Stadium on Thursday night when visiting Nsoatreman FC recorded a 1-2 victory to jeopardise an already disastrous season for the Porcupines Warriors.
The results left their fans fuming after the match as they accused the players of not fighting enough for the Kotoko jersey.
According to them, it was unacceptable for Kotoko to pick only a point from a possible 18 since the resumption of the second round of the season and called on the Life Patron to step in before things got out of hands.
It was a sluggish start for the Porcupines who desperately needed a win to pacify their fans after a winless run for five consecutive matches.
The visitors who have proven to be tough customers for Kotoko anytime they visited the Baba Yara Stadium dominated the early exchanges by raiding Kotoko’s half in quick succession.
Their dominance paid off in the 22nd minute when Abdul Manaf Umar tapped in a cross from the right side of attack for the opener.
They continued to dictate the pace after taking the lead as Kotoko struggled to put simple passes together with their fans growing impatient by the minute.
After 30 minutes, Kotoko looked so ordinary despite the inclusion of Steve Dese Mukwala who had been absent in their last two matches due to national team duties.
They however restored parity on the 40th minute through Shadrach Addo who unleashed a thunderous strike on the edge of the box after being set up by Enoch Morrison.
The two teams went into the break a goal apiece, setting the stage for a grueling second half.
Asante Kotoko resumed the second half with some sense of urgency as they strived to put smiles on the faces of the home fans for the first time in a while.
Nsoatreman would however prove a hard nut to crack with their backline scoring full marks for repelling all the threats from the Kotoko build ups.
As Coach Prosper Nartey Ogum pushed for the second goal, he pulled out Baba Yahaya for Peter Acquah Amidu in an effort to strengthen his attack.
The substitution failed to add bite to the Kotoko attack, and with 15 minutes to end proceedings, the Kotoko gaffer introduced more fresh limbs which saw the likes of George Mfegue, Augustine Agyapong and Bernard Somuah joining the fray for the final push.
Abdul Manaf could have sealed the game for the visitors with five minutes to end the match when he pounced on a loose ball in the box, but his effort went just over the cross bar.
Three minutes into stoppage time, Mohammed Abdul Rahman restored Nsoatreman’s lead with a beautiful goal leaving the Kotoko defence dumbfounded.
Sandwiched between about four Kotoko defenders, the attacker calmly received the ball from the right flank, turned around before unleashing a ferocious strike beyond the helpless Danlad Ibrahim.
The goal eventually condemned Kotoko to their 10 defeat of the season as they failed to fight back.
GNA