Sports
Karela dream for top spot, Hearts to deepen Allies woes
The battle for top spot could see third-placed Karela United (32 points) travel hours to battle it out with sixth-placed Dreams (27) points tomorrow at the Theatre of Dream, Dawu, in a thrilling Match Day 20 fixture. A win for the visitors could see them reclaim the top spot to keep them in their title race.
The home team will also be eager to return to winning ways after picking just a point from their last two outings; a draw with Inter Allies and a defeat away to Medeama SC.
Dreams’ Serbian coach Vladislav Vric and his charges could go all out in their quest to avenge their painful 2-1 defeat they faced at the feet of Medeama where top scorer Joseph Esso gave Dreams the lead before Franklin Osei powered Karela to victory with his two late goals.
The league and Karela’s leading scorer Diawusie Taylor, with 12 goals to his credit, has failed to score in his last two appearances and would be eager to find his scoring boots on and extend the lead, while Joseph Esso (11 goals), could also defy all odds to be on the score sheet and catch up with Taylor.
The action continues on Sunday at the Accra Sports Stadium where fourth-placed Hearts of Oak (30 points) square off with struggling Inter Allies in the regional derby at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Despite a poor run of results in the first round, the ‘Eleven-is-to-One’ lads managed to secure a vital win over the Phobians on match day 3 where Richmond Lamptey’s long drive was enough to give Allies their first win of the campaign. It is a real test for Coach Samuel Boadu who picked up his first defeat after three games in charge, and look poised to turn things around and ensure his side return to form.
The massive victory over Karela United last weekend will serve as a huge boost for bottom-placed Inter Allies who will fight to their last breathe as a win would place them above Liberty Professionals and King Faisal should they fall prey to their opponents.
In other fixtures, Bechem United will host Aduana Stars at the Nana Gyebour Park today, with Sogakope-based WAFA making a trip to face Elmina Sharks in Elmina, same day.
Eleven Wonders will welcome poor performing Liberty Professionals to the Nana Ameyaw Park in Techiman in a cagey contest, while Ashantigold square off with King Faisal far away in Techiman in a tough contest.
At the Golden City Park in Berekum, Chelsea will hustle Ebusua Dwarfs for a middle-table slot, while improved Medeama SC – led by lethal forward Ahmed Toure, will face a tricky test against Legon Cities today.
In Accra, Great Olympics and Asante Kotoko were slotting it out as of press time yesterday.
BY LINUS SIAW NARTEY
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.
