Sports
Gold Stars thrash Accra Lions to win historic 2024-25 Premier League title
Gold Stars FC completed a fairytale season by clinching their first-ever Ghana Premier League title in commanding fashion, demolishing Accra Lions 4-0 at a raucous Duns Park on Sunday.
The emphatic victory not only confirmed their place at the summit but also condemned the Lions to relegation, just a season after finishing second in the 2023/24 campaign.
Abdul Farouk Amoaful opened the scoring just four minutes into the game to ignite celebrations among the home fans. Kelvin Oppong doubled the advantage in the 19th minute, laying the foundation for a memorable finale.
Second-half goals from Samuel Kumi (73′) and Frank Amankwah (90′) capped off a dominant performance that saw the title secured with a three-point cushion.
While the home crowd erupted in celebration at full-time, the mood was starkly different for Accra Lions, who finished 15th and faced the drop after a disappointing and turbulent campaign.
Nations FC fall short in title chase
Nations FC, who had led the title race, fell at the final hurdle with a surprising 2-0 home defeat to third-placed Heart of Lions at the Dr. Kwame Kyei Sports Complex.
Goals from Samuel Boamah Quansah (18′) and Asante Sedorf (72′) handed the visitors a deserved win and dashed Nations’ title hopes. Despite an impressive campaign, Nations had to settle for second place as they await a judicial decision, just behind the newly crowned champions.
Kotoko pip rivals Hearts to fourth place
Asante Kotoko edged out bitter rivals Hearts of Oak for fourth place via head-to-head record, despite a 3-1 defeat to Vision FC at the Nii Kraku Adjei II Sports Complex. An own goal from Lord Xorse Kudzinya gave Kotoko the early lead, but a brace from Frank Duku and a goal by Edmund Asante turned the game around for the hosts.
Hearts of Oak, meanwhile, ended their campaign on a positive note with a 1-0 win over dethroned champions FC Samartex 1996 at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Defender Konadu Yiadom scored the only goal in the 57th minute to give the Phobians their first-ever Premier League win against Samartex in Accra. Nonetheless, they finished fifth, just behind Kotoko.
Medeama disappointed, Aduana finish strong
Medeama SC wrapped up a frustrating campaign with a 2-1 home defeat to Berekum Chelsea at the TnA Stadium in Tarkwa. Vincent Klu Adjei opened the scoring for the visitors before Kingsley Braye equalized.
But former Medeama striker Kofi Ansu Patrick had the final say, scoring the winner five minutes from time to silence the home fans. Medeama finished eighth, while Chelsea ended the season in 12th position.
Aduana FC ended on a high, sealing a comfortable 3-1 win over newly promoted Basake Holy Stars.
Richard Tetteh gave the hosts a first-half lead, which was quickly canceled out by Francis Obeng.
However, second-half goals from Emmanuel Marfo (55′) and Alex Boakye (87′ pen) sealed the victory. Despite the defeat, Holy Stars managed to avoid relegation in their debut top-flight season.
Dreams FC shine, Young Apostles survive
Dreams FC closed out the season with a resounding 4-1 victory over relegated Legon Cities. Jonathan Nemorden netted twice, while Joseph Esso and Suraj Seidu added a goal apiece.
Albert Adomah scored a consolation for the Royals, whose relegation was confirmed prior to kickoff.
Elsewhere, Bechem United edged out Young Apostles 1-0 thanks to a second-half penalty from Baba Moro Abdulai at the Nana Gyeabour Park.
Despite the defeat, the Apostles successfully retained their Premier League status after an encouraging debut campaign.
Ghana Premier League side, Nations FC, may have suffered the drop in the just ended Premier League and are destined for a fresh campaign in the Division One League (DOL).
But they stand a huge chance of remaining in the elite stage of the game as they face Dreams FC in an epic MTN FA Cup final at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium tomorrow at 6pm.
Dreams FC have been there before; going ahead to taste the honours in the 2022-23 season after defeating King Faisal.
Coming from a season that saw them crawl from the initial stages of the league to finish on a respectable fourth position, they come in as strong favourites to double their honours in the nation’s second top football competition.
History favours them in this regard. On their first final, they conquered and based on this, connoisseurs of the game have tipped them to make it ‘two-on-two.’
But Nations FC have been empowered by the age-old adage that “He that is down need fear no fall.”
Nothing can be worse than suffering relegation and exiting the limelight as far as exposure is concerned.
But the FA offers a decent opportunity to make them stay relevant.
Conquering Dreams FC would not just make them MTN FA Cup champions. It will grant them the prestigious slot to represent Ghana in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) second tier club competition- the Confederations Cup.
With Dreams FC harbouring the same ambitions, the stage is, therefore, set for a final that promises to be explosive and uncompromising.
The situation of Nations FC might have come to many as a surprise, considering their promising start to the season, with their defence especially, marshalled by Black Stars defender, Razak Simpson, and colleague central defender, Raymond Grippman, earning a lot of reviews.
But despite the struggles they endured at certain times of their campaign, the MTN FA Cup always provided slices of good fortunes as they managed to navigate their way to the final.
Road to the top
Nations FC began the MTN FA Cup competition on a promising note, enjoying some good runs with a win over DOL Zone Two side, Ebony FC, in the Round of 64.
That landed them in a tricky encounter with another high-flying Zone Two candidate, AshantiGold SC, a side that eventually won the title from the zone to qualify to the Premier League, but escaped.
At the round of 16 stage, they encountered and defeated Ghana Premier League side, Swedru All Blacks, 2-1 to gain progression to the quarter final stage where they edged Berekum Chelsea on penalties.
A dicey semi-final awaited them against Aduana FC in Swedru. It was a game Nations was given little chance to escape considering Aduana FC’s form but once again, they conquered to secure a final berth.
In total, the Abrankese-based club have scored eight goals and conceded only two throughout the competition, making them one of the strongest defensive sides in the tournament.
For Dreams FC, they defeated Division One League Zone Three side, Semper Fi, 2-1 to progress to the next stage of the competition where they accounted for Division Two side, Asanska FC, 2-0.
That handed them a quarterfinal berth where they faced Inter Allies and drew one all before winning 4-3 on penalties.
The happiest moment in their success story was a 3-2 semi-final win over GPL winners, Medeama SC.
With that feat, Dreams have been touted as potential winners as the match comes at a time the Nations FC side may be psychologically down over the weight of the challenge they face in the next season.
However, the competition has gain notoriety for not following any form guide and outcomes mostly coming as major surprises.
In this regard, Dreams may be tipped as favourite candidates but though Nations are wounded, the stakes could revive an insatiable desire to apply the brakes to turn the dreams of Dreams FC into a nightmare.
Support
The support from MTN Ghana has no doubt improved competition among the clubs with the attractive incentive packages for participating clubs.
MTN Ghana, which is celebrating 30 years of operations in Ghana, formally became headline sponsors of the Ghana FA Cup in the 2010/2011 football season after the competition had returned from an eight-year hiatus.
The first edition under MTN sponsorship was won by Nania FC, who defeated Asante Kotoko 1–0 in the final at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Since then, the competition has been known as the MTN FA Cup, with MTN renewing its sponsorship several times — in 2013, 2017, 2020 and again for subsequent seasons.
By Andrew Nortey
The Black Stars have opened camp in Cardiff ahead of next week’s international friendly against Wales.
The team is being taken through training drills by head coach Carlos Queiroz.
Thirteen players trained at Dragon Park on Monday, with others expected to join the squad on Tuesday.
They include Ernest Nuamah, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jordan Ayew, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Elisha Owusu, Gideon Mensah, Marvin Senaya, Jerome Opoku, Benjamin Asare, Joseph Anang, Solomon Agbasi, and Alidu Seidu.
The Black Stars will train in Cardiff for one week ahead of the international friendly against Wales on Tuesday, June 2, before traveling to the United States of America.
Coach Carlos Queiroz will use the period to assess his players before naming his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Twenty-six players will be submitted to FIFA on Monday, June 1, as mandated by the competition regulations.
The Black Stars are drawn in Group L with Panama, England, and Croatia. They will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto before facing England and Croatia in their other group matches.
