Hearts Storm Akwuapem Larteh On Sunday

Ghana Premier League (GPL) leaders Accra Hearts of Oak, will storm Akwuapem Larteh on Sunday to play local side Storm Stars Academy in a friendly encounter.

The game will be played at the Methodist School Park, and, is at the instance of the third tier side who wants to test their mettle against the premiership campaigners.

There are no GPL games this weekend as MTN FA Cup matches takes center stage on the Ghanaian football calendar with the Phobians having been knocked out in the previous round.

Storm Stars Academy are gearing up for the start of the Eastern regional second division league, and, have been engaging in a series of friendly games to put them in shape for the start of the competition.

They hope to give the GPL leaders a good run for their money on Sunday, and, on home soil, will be inspired to put on a show.

The Phobians will also use this game as final preparation for the resumption of the GPL as they hope to maintain their leadership of the log.

They lead the standing with 21 points after 11 games, and will next host Sekondi Hasaacas at the Accra Sports Stadium next Wednesday when the competition resumes.

 

 

 

 

Hearts Storm Akwuapem Larteh On Sunday

Cameroon"s Ekeng Dies After On-Pitch Collapse

Dinamo Bucharest and Cameroon midfielder Patrick Ekeng has died aged 26 of a suspected heart attack after collapsing on the pitch.

Ekeng fell to the floor in the 70th minute of a televised Romanian league match between Dinamo and Viitorul.

He was pronounced dead in hospital two hours later.

The Cameroonian FA confirmed the news on Twitter, while Ekeng’s former club Cordoba tweeted: “We have no words to express our sadness at the loss.”

Ekeng had also previously played for Le Mans and Lausanne.

In 2003, Cameroon international midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe died after collapsing during a Confederations Cup match against Colombia in France.

BBC

Cameroon"s Ekeng Dies After On-Pitch Collapse

We Will Build On This Momentum – Coach Keni

Accra Hearts of Oak Coach Kenichi Yatsuhashi has said his side will press home their new found confidence after overcoming AshantiGold Sporting Club in their last Ghana Premier League (GPL) game.

The Phobians posted a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Miners at the Len Clay Stadium at Obuasi in their Match-Day Nine GPL encounter to maintain second spot on the log.

Te win also ensured that they remain the only side in the competition yet to lose an away game as and this Coach Keni said they will look to build on.

“Prior to this game, we had not recorded good results (not won in four in all competitions), and, we wanted to put out a statement by returning to the form that we started the season with,” Coach Keni said.

“This is an important win for us and we hope to build on this momentum for the remainder of this first round,” he added.

Hearts will next play bitter rivals Kumasi Asante Kotoko in their next GPL game on Monday, 2 May at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra in what will be the top-liner of the Match-Day 10 fixtures.

“We have another difficult opponent in our next game, and, we will prepare very well for them, hoping to win the three points at stake and move on with our campaign,” the Japanese-American stressed.

We Will Build On This Momentum – Coach Keni

Japan To Host Ghana In International Friendly May 11

Ghana’s local national team will take on the U23 side of Japan in an international friendly on May 11 ahead of some important assignments for both nations.

The Japanese have qualified to the Olympic football tournament in Rio in August and needs games under their belt to get in shape for the tournament.

They have been drawn in Group B for the competition and will play alongside Sweden, Colombia and Nigeria who picked one of the African tickets for the event.

With Ghana in the same region as Nigeria, the Japanese are hoping to test their strength against a country of similar stature.

The local Black Stars will also use this upcoming international to prepare for the qualifiers for the Championship of African Nations (CHAN) tournament to be held in Kenya.

Coach of the Ghanaian side Maxwell Konadu has invited 25 locals to camp to prepare for the upcoming friendly as they hope to give the Japanese a good run for their money even on home soil.

The players are expected to report for camping at the Ghanaman Centre of Excellence in Prampram on April 25.

Full squad:

Goalkeepers

Richard Ofori (Wa All Stars), Robert Dabou (AshantiGold), Muntari Tagoe (Medeama)

Defenders

Hafiz Adams (Wa All Stars), Amos Frimpong (Asante Kotoko), Abdul Bashiru ( Dreams FC), Daniel Darkwah (Aduana Stars), Kadri Mohammed (AshantiGold ), Abdul Ganiyu (Wa All Stars), Ahmed Adams (Asante Kotoko), Nicholas Opoku (Berekum Chelsea)

Midfielders

Gockel Ahortor (Inter Allies), Isaac Twum (Inter Allies), Eric Kwakwa (Medeama SC), Kweku Asuandzie (Wa All Stars), Sabhan Laryea (Hearts of Oak), Latif Atta Blessing (Liberty Professionals), Emmanuel Ocran (Wa All Stars), Samuel Tetteh (WAFA), Evans Mensah (Inter Allies), Emmanuel Osei Baffour (AshantiGold)

Forwards

Saddick Adams (Berekum Chelsea), Richard Arthur (Wa All Stars), Musa Ibrahim (Hearts of Oak), Lawson Bekui (Dreams FC).

Japan To Host Ghana In International Friendly May 11

Liberty Professionals’ Season Well On Course - George Lamptey

Liberty Professionals coach, George Lamptey says their season is on course as they seek to fulfill their ambition of finishing in the top four at the end of this season.

The ‘Scientific Soccer’ lads are fourth on the Ghana Premier League (GPL) log with 10 points from the six games they have played, and, are looking good on their promise.

Last Sunday, they thumped defending champions, AshantiGold SC 5-1 at their Dansoman base to record their third home win of the campaign.

And this Coach Lamptey believes is a good sign of the efforts they have put into the team as they brace up for the reminder of the campaign.

“The win over AshantiGold was a good one for us as we prepared very well for this one knowing the caliber of opposition we were going to face ahead of the game,” Coach Lamptey said.

The former Ghana international adds that they should not be taken for a ride in this season’s competition as they have what it takes to go all the way and win it.

“We prepared very well for this competition and I believe our efforts will yield positive results as the season wore on,” Coach Lamptey said.

He takes his side to Kumasi to confront embattled Asante Kotoko at the Baba Yara Stadium in their next GPL game, and, is confident of producing a good result.

“The next game is equally important for us, and, we are not treating it lightly, we will prepare adequately well for it knowing we can get a good result with our efforts,’ he concluded.

Liberty Professionals’ Season Well On Course - George Lamptey

My Job Is Always On The Line – Coach Yatsuhashi

Accra Hearts of Oak coach, Kenichi Yatsuhashi has said like all coaches, his job is always on the line and can be fired at any time.

The Japanese-American has made a promising start with the Phobians, leading them to the top of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) and remain unbeaten after four games.

However, he told Sportscrusader.com that, this early success is not a guarantee of his safety on the job and that he could be fired at any time by chieftains of the capital club.

“Yes the results have been good, yes we have made a promising start to the season, but, there is still a lot of ground to cover and we are working on this every day at training,” he said on Thursday.

Coach Yatsuhashi believes he could be fired at any time if there is no consistency in results, but, this he is hoping to avoid as the season rolls on.

He will lead his charges to Tema on Sunday to play Inter Allies in a Match-Day-Five fixture of the GPL hoping to keep their unbeaten run going as they chase a first championship in eight seasons.

The Japanese-American came under serious criticism after being appointed coach of the Phoabians for his lack of experience at the highest level.

Results in pre-season were not impressive, leading many to call for his sack, but, he has made a promising start to the season with Hearts of Oak and could be the man to restore hope to a club that struggled for most parts of last season as the finished the campaign in 13^th position in the 16-club Ghanaian Premiership.

 

 

 

My Job Is Always On The Line – Coach Yatsuhashi