Sports
Premier League: Nations go top of table: Gold Stars drop to third; Bechem United compound Legon Cities’ misery
Nations FC surged to the summit of the Premier League table following a narrow 1-0 victory over Accra Lions at the Dr. Kwame Kyei Sports Complex on Sunday, May 4, 2025, as the title race intensifies with just four matches remaining.
Sadiq Alhassan was the hero for Nations, netting the decisive goal in the 62nd minute to guide his side to a vital home win.
The result lifts Nations FC a point clear of both Heart of Lions and Gold Stars FC, who suffered contrasting fortunes over the weekend. Accra Lions, meanwhile, dropped into the relegation zone following the defeat.
Gold Stars stumble as Karela United stun in Bibiani
Gold Stars FC relinquished top spot after a shock 1-0 home defeat to relegation-threatened Karela United. Mohammed Asigre Sulemana’s 43rd-minute goal handed the visitors a priceless win and a massive boost in their fight for survival.
The loss sees the Miners drop to third in the standings, now trailing Nations FC by a single point. Karela move just above the relegation zone, sitting on 32 points from 30 matches.
Heart of Lions roar to second
Heart of Lions climbed to second place with a spirited 2-1 victory over defending champions FC Samartex 1996 at the Kpando Stadium. First-half strikes from Yaw Danso (8’) and Nana Kwame Oppong (20’) gave the hosts a commanding lead, before Baba Hamidu Musa pulled one back from the spot in the 58th minute. The win leaves Heart of Lions just a point off the pace, while Samartex slip to seventh in the standings.
Young Apostles triumph in New Boys’ battle
Young Apostles earned a crucial 2-0 win over fellow league newcomers Basake Holy Stars at the Wenchi Stadium,. Second-half goals from Joseph Quansah and Emmanuel Fosu Kyei propelled the Apostles to 12th on the table. Holy Stars drop to 13th, as both sides continue to navigate a tense relegation battle.
Aduana edge Chelsea in five-goal thriller
Aduana FC edged Berekum Chelsea 3-2 in a pulsating encounter at the Nana Agyemang Badu I Park. Alex Boakye opened the scoring in the 14th minute, with Stephen Amankona leveling before the break. Elvis Addo restored Aduana’s lead early in the second half, only for Amankona to respond again just four minutes later. Godfred Waki settled the contest in Aduana’s favour with a 75th-minute strike. The win sees Aduana move up to 11th, one place behind Chelsea in 10th.
Bechem United compound Legon Cities’ misery
Bechem United picked up a narrow 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Legon Cities, courtesy of Dalvin Yeboah’s 74th-minute goal at the Nana Gyeabour Park. The result keeps Bechem in mid-table, while Legon Cities remain 17th with 25 points, deep in the relegation mire.
Sports
‘Black Stars not there yet’
After seeing Mali undone by Alexander Djiku’s second half strike to give Ghana a 1-0 victory over Mali on Monday in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Accra, Otto Addo gave his thoughts in the post-match press conference.
Below are excerpts.
On the game against Mali
You could see that we have a young squad and players who haven’t been playing often for the national team so far; that made them nervous. I think we got a good game.
We increased the pressure early in the second half, and managed to score out of a set piece. And then it was pure fight afterwards, especially the period after the goal.
On decision-making in the final third
I think if you have played before, you know that sometimes there’s a little bounce from the ball or the position is close and you think too much, I told them actually, but as a footballer, it’s normal that you try to look for a perfect solution.
Semenyo’s performance
He did really well, you know, it’s difficult to compare games from the Premier League with games in Africa and Ghana. It’s very, very difficult and then all games have their own nature and surely you can say that he stands more out in the Premier League, but for me today he was excellent, he fought until he couldn’t run anymore.
On Gideon Mensah
Well, I think sometimes he’s a little bit too confident and we had, especially after the Chad game, had some talks and for everyone who has played football on a higher level.
If he does it in La Liga, it’s fine because in La Liga, if you lose the ball to your opponent, he will counter-press you. He needs to simplify his game sometimes. Didn’t look too complicated, but it’s difficult sometimes if you’re coming from a different environment to switch your thinking.
On Kwasi Sibo’s performance
First of all, big congrats for him. I think he really did well. It’s not easy to come from a different environment to fit into the squad, but yeah, he knows a lot of players already in the team and he connected well. He’s very, very confident and I think he did extremely well, especially when you see that this was his first match. .
On Ghanaians being overly expectant
No, I think the expectations are normal. We are Ghana. For me, if everybody is talking before the Chad game that we already won and we are already taking the three points, it’s dangerous because if this gets to the heads of the fans, it’s a problem for me.
I’m warning everybody who think we have already gone to the World Cup to take things easy. It’s not like that. We have to give the same effort as today to beat Central African Republic. If we don’t do this, it’s a big problem. We have a lot of work to do. A lot of work. It’s going to be very, very difficult.
On goal scoring
You know, the last window, we scored eight goals. I think it was ok, but we can’t expect it all the time. So I hope that the players who missed the chances would score the next time. But it’s all about learning, improving and adapting always to the circumstances.
And I think in each situation, they could have taken one, two, three steps more or more time to look for the partner to have a better overview to give the right pass.
Sports
Black Queens Set to Face England Lionesses in International Friendly
The Black Queens will face the Lionesses of England in a high-profile international friendly on December 2,2025 per agreement between the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the England Football Association.
After reaching the semi-finals at the 2024 WAFCON, the Black Queens are determined to build on that performance and establish themselves among the elite teams on the continent.
This match comes off as part of Ghana’s preparations for all international assignments, including the 2026 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The fixture against England, one of the world’s top-ranked sides and reigning European champions, is expected to provide the Queens with a tough test that will sharpen the squad.
Head coach Kim Lars Björkegren will also seize the golden opportunity to measure the team’s progress, expose the players to world-class opposition, and correct areas that need improvement.
The Black Queens will head into the encounter motivated to put up a strong performance, not only to test their readiness but also to showcase the strides Ghana continues to make in women’s football on the international stage.
