Day: May 8, 2024

Aduana Stars coach, Yaw Acheampong, has expressed satisfaction after his side held Accra Lions on matchday 29 of the Ghana Premier League.

Aduana Stars became the first team to stop Accra Lions from scoring in Accra since the start of the second round after a goalless draw on Monday.

Despite the waves of attack from the hosts, Aduana were defensively resolute with goalkeeper Masawudu Inusah playing a pivotal role in the stalemate.

“It was a very difficult game but tactically I’m very happy with the performance today. Sometimes you play with what you have. As you can see today, it’s not about position, it’s about playing a role,” he said after the game.

With the domestic league set for a two-week break, Acheampong hopes his injured players return to fitness in time for the Hearts of Oak game.

“Our next game is against Hearts here and I’m happy with the play today. We will have much time to work on the injured players and see if they can come and join us against Hearts,” he added.

Source: Ghana Web

The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) has sent congratulatory messages to Ghana’s 4×100 metres men’s relay team following their qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Team Ghana, with a strong contingent of Ibrahim Fuseini, Isaac Botsio, Benjamin Azamati, and Joseph Paul Amoah secured a season-best time of 38.29 seconds at the Bahamas World Relay championship.

A statement signed by Mr. Kwabena Yeboah, President of the association said the team’s success was as a result of their hard work, dedication and perseverance.?

‘SWAG believes this achievement is a testament to your talent, teamwork, and unwavering commitment to excellence.

As you prepare to take on the world stage, SWAG urges you to remember that you’re not just representing your country, but also inspiring a generation of athletes and fans around the world,’ it said.

It urged the relay team to put in more work as they prepared towards the games.?

This year’s Olympic Games is scheduled for Friday, 26th July to Sunday, 11th Au
gust.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Hearts of Oak head coach, Aboubakar Ouattara, has revealed his 20-man squad for their Ghana Premier League Week 29 fixture against Berekum Chelsea on Wednesday.

The highly anticipated showdown is scheduled to take place at Golden City Park, with both sides aiming for the crucial three points.

Ouattara’s squad selection retains most of the previous lineup, with notable exceptions such as Richard Attah.

Unfortunately, midfielder Glid Otanga will be absent from the roster due to a head injury sustained in their recent encounter against Accra Lions.

Nevertheless, the squad remains formidable, featuring top talents such as Linda Mtange, Ibrahim Salifu, Yaw Baafi, and Kofi Agbesimah, among others.

Hearts of Oak have just one win in their last six games and need serious redemption to avoid being involved in a relegation fight.

See the full squad below:

1. Sharif Shuaib

2. Amankwah Baafi

3. Winimi Thomas

4. Ampadu Michael

5. Kofi Agbesimah

6. Rafael Amponsah

7. Linda Mtange

8. Salim Adams

9. Salifu Ibr
ahim

10. Hamza Issah

11. Kasim Cisse

12. Enock Asubonteng

13. Martin Karikari

14. Dennis Korsah

15. Kwesi Nketia

16. David Oppong Afranie

17. Gideon Asante Yeboah

18. Seidu Suraj

19. Isaac Frimpong

20. Ramos Kashala

Source: Ghana Web

Kylian Mbappe stormed out of an interview after Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League semi-final loss to Borussia Dortmund.

After PSG lost 2-0 on aggregate to Dortmund in the last four of the competition on Tuesday night, the 25-year-old was asked if he would be supporting Real Madrid when they take on Bayern Munich in their semi-final second leg on Wednesday. The French World Cup winner looks set to move to Los Blancos this summer but he did not take kindly to the journalist’s question.

When the former Monaco man was asked if he would support Madrid in their crunch clash against Bayern, Mbappe rolled his eyes and immediately left the mixed zone.

This loss is likely to be the last time Mbappe plays for PSG in the Champions League, as their bid to join Marseille as the only French side to win the competition fell short once again. The forward has won more than a dozen domestic trophies since joining the Ligue 1 outfit in 2018 but the biggest prize still eludes them.

While either Madrid or Bayern will face
Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley on June 1, PSG return to Ligue 1 action on Sunday night when they host Toulouse, followed by a trip to Nice on May 15.

Source: Ghana Web

GPL giants Accra Hearts of Oak, defeated Berekum Chelsea 3-0 to end their streak of winless games in the league.

Prior to this match, the Phobians had suffered six consecutive defeats in their league matches. Coach Aboubakar Ouattara’s side had managed just two wins, two draws, and six defeats.

However, the Phobians pulled off a big surprise at the Golden City Park in Berekum on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

Hamza Issah scored the first goal of the match with a cool finish after his teammate set him up in the box in the 20th minute. The goal was the 12th of the season for the 22-year-old.

Hearts of Oak doubled their lead in the second half through Congolese striker Linda Mtange in the 58th minute.

Denis Korsah sent a defense-splitting pass that nullified Berekum Chelsea’s high-line defense, allowing Linda Mtange to easily dispatch the second goal.

Ivorian international, Kassim Cisse, scored the third goal with an assist from Hamza Issah in the 82nd minute.

Once again, a throw ball from Amponsah broke the Che
lsea defense, giving way for Hamza to set up Cisse to score the final goal.

With this win, Hearts of Oak have moved from the 13th position to 11th place on the league log, just two points behind the 10th placed Asante Kotoko.

Samuel Boadu, the former coach of Hearts of Oak, had promised to reward his Berekum Chelsea players handsomely if they beat the Phobians in the match.

Source: Ghana Web

Laryea Kingston, the head coach of Ghana’s U17 national team, the Black Starlets, has described participating in the UEFA U16 Invitational Tournament as a good experience.

The Black Starlets participated in the tournament for the second time in Russia, after also doing so last year in Serbia.

They lost their opening game against Russia with a 3-1 scoreline before winning the following two games with 5-1 scorelines.

Speaking about his experience at the tournament, the former Ghana international was very satisfied with the takeaways.

“It was a very good experience for me as a coach to understand every part of the world, the way they play, the mindset of the coaches, and all that.

“For me, the takeaway has been very positive. We had our first loss since this technical team was put in place in a lot of games.”

The Black Starlets are now back in Ghana, preparing for the WAFU Zone B Cup of Nations set to be held in Ghana.

They will open their tournament against Côte d’Ivoire and then face Benin in their seco
nd group match.

Source: Ghana Web

Former Hearts of Oak player Kwadwo Obeng Junior has shared the disappointing treatment he experienced at Hearts despite showing loyalty.

The striker narrated that out of respect and love for the Phobians, he turned down offers from foreign clubs to focus on the 24-time Ghana Premier League champions.

Speaking with Vision FM, he revealed that the club paid him back distastefully by offloading him without notice and for no substantial reason.

“I had offers from foreign clubs but because I respect Hearts, I told them they shouldn’t engage them (interested clubs). But unexpectedly, without committing an offence, I got sidelined. If I was the problem, I’d understand and leave. Even with that, those they recruited have bigger problems than me.”

Despite being pained, he said he has accepted the exit in good faith because he felt fulfilled after winning six titles with the club.

“I have accepted it because I’ve paid my dues to the club. After going 11 years without a trophy, I won six trophies with them. So I ha
ve paid my dues.”

The former Nea Salamina player urged Hearts of Oak’s board to handle player exits better to avoid players feeling bitter about the club.

“My advice to the board is that if they want to offload a player, they should do it properly so the player can leave in peace. In that way, the remaining squad will get lucky.”

“I was the only one who had a problem. Galdson Awako and the likes took their issues with the club to court. We all started the season but got offloaded in the second round, now look at what is happening to them. We are quietly watching, but we don’t want their downfall,” he added.

Kwadwo Obeng Junior joined Hearts of Oak in 2018 on an initial loan deal before his contract was made permanent.

He spent six years at the club, winning six honours including the Ghana Premier League, Super Cup, two FA Cups, and two President’s Cups.

Source: Ghana Web

Ghana’s Olympic medalist, Samuel Takyi, has retired from Ghana’s amateur boxing team, the Black Bombers, to focus on his professional boxing career.

The 23-year-old boxer announced his retirement on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in a statement on his official social media accounts.

In his statement, Samuel Takyi said, ‘To all Ghanaians, it is with a heavy heart that I leave the amateur ranks and fully commit myself to my professional career. It has been a fantastic journey, and I want to thank everyone who helped me along the way, culminating in that historic moment at the Tokyo Olympics where I won a bronze medal for my beloved Ghana.’

He added, ‘I would like to thank Alhaji Inusah, Alhaji Taufiq, and the Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, for their support, and all my amateur coaches, including the Head Coach of the Black Bombers, Coach Asare, without whom I would not have achieved so much success. I hope now to have the same success in the professional ranks and bring another world champion home to Ghana. God ble
ss you all!’

Samuel Takyi, who won Ghana’s only bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, had hoped to return to the games to be hosted in Paris.

To all Ghanaians, it is with a heavy heart that I leave the amateur ranks and fully commit myself to my professional career. It has been a fantastic journey and I want to thank all who helped me along the way culminating in that historic time at the Tokyo Olympics where I won my pic.twitter.com/YRAj5U9WgA

– Samuel Takyi (Ringwarrior) (@ringwarrior95) May 7, 2024

The boxer has announced that he is now signed with Streetwise Management, who are his new promoters.

This is the second time the boxer has quit the national team to turn professional. After his success at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Samuel Takyi left the Black Bombers to join Bazooka Promotions.

He later terminated his professional contract and rejoined the team for the Olympic Games qualifiers in Senegal, where he failed to secure qualification.

His most recent success with the Black Bombers was at
the African Games, where he won a gold medal.

Excited to join forces with Streetwise Management! Big dreams, bigger moves. Let’s write the next chapter together. #NewChapter #newbeginnings #ringwarrior #samueltakyi #olympicmedalist #africangamesmedalist #boxing pic.twitter.com/wn1Jwesm7M

– Samuel Takyi (Ringwarrior) (@ringwarrior95) May 8, 2024

Source: Ghana Web