Kumasi Asante Kotoko emerged victorious in the 2025 President’s Cup, edging out fierce rivals Accra Hearts of Oak with a dramatic 2-1 win at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The game, held in honor of Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama, delivered fireworks from start to finish.
Hearts of Oak struck first in the 23rd minute when young forward Hamza Issah capitalized on a mishandled cross by Kotoko goalkeeper Mohammed Camara. The Phobians looked in control heading into the break.
But, the second half belonged to Kotoko. In a tense sequence of play, Hearts defender Konadu Yiadom inadvertently nodded the ball into his own net while trying to clear a dangerous cross from Peter Amidu.
Just moments later, Albert Amoah made up for an earlier miss by feeding a clever pass to Kwame Opoku, who calmly finished to put the Porcupine Warriors ahead.
The match wasn’t short on drama. Hearts had a potential equalizer ruled out for offside, sparking protests. Then, after a handball by Kotoko’s Zackaria Fuseini, the Phobians were awarded a penalty but Emmanuel Amankwah’s effort was tame and easily saved by Camara, who redeemed his earlier error in spectacular fashion.
The win extends Kotoko’s unbeaten streak over Hearts to five matches and adds yet another President’s Cup to their growing trophy cabinet.
As Kotoko gears up for the Toyota Cup clash with Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa, Hearts will seek redemption at the upcoming Eko International Tournament in Nigeria.
