It was another defeat at home for Asante Kotoko as their poor run in the second round of the 2023/2024 Ghana Premier League season appears not to be ending anytime soon.
With their poor showing on the road, one would have thought they could at least captalise on home advantage to stay in the competition, but winning at home has also become a daunting task for the once fearsome side in Ghana football.
This time they succumbed to a 0-1 defeat against Nations FC, stretching their winless run to four consecutive defeats two of which were surprisingly recorded at the Baba Yara Stadium.
Scenes at the stadium after the match summed up a torrid season for the Porcupines as supporters could be seen pouring out their frustration in groups.
Asante Kotoko went into the match knowing another defeat could spell doom for them especially when they had failed to pick a point on the road since the beginning of the second round of the league.
They had no choice but to put some smiles on the faces of their fans who had been
enduring endless heartbreaks in the last few weeks.
Buoyed by the ever-noisy Porcupine Tertiary ‘Jama’ group, Kotoko started the match on a brighter note as they made early incursions into the half of their opponents.
The return of Isaac Oppong brought some bite to the attack of the Porcupines despite the absence of the Ugandan forward Steve Dese Mukwala who is on national duty for the Cranes of Uganda.
Very few chances were created by either side after the half-hour mark, but it was Kotoko who looked likely to break the deadlock having spent much time in the half of the visitors.
But it was Nations who stole the lead two minutes into additional time when Asamoah Boateng Afriyie nodded home a cross from a corner kick.
Kotoko’s immediate reaction was to launch a swift attack into the box of Nations but were denied by goalkeeper Kofi Mensah, thereby going into the break with a deficit of one goal.
With another defeat staring them at their home ground, Kotoko resumed the second half on the front foot, but
the visitors who had grown in confidence would not be push overs.
Desperation set in the play of Asante Kotoko as the hour mark approached without restoring parity – a situation that was exploited by Nations who often caught them on the break.
The visitors showed composure amid the incessant pressure from the Porcupines who were determined to salvage a point as the game entered the last ten minutes.
Within that period, Kotoko appealed for a penalty twice but referee James Taylor thought otherwise as he rejected both appeals and waived play on.
Nations FC held on to snatch all three points at a expense of a team whose campaign this season has been nothing but shambolic and uninspiring.
Source: Ghana News Agency