Real Tamale United (RTU) started this year's OneTouch Premier League campaign on a good note when they beat new entrants, Zaytuna United FC by two goals to one at the Tamale Kaladan Park on Sunday.
Real Tamale United attacked the visitors’ right from the kick-off and entertained the unprecedented large crowd that thronged the park to watch the match.
Zaytuna United nearly conceded the first goal in the first minute but Lugard Tetteh in posts for Zaytuna saved Fatawu Owen's shot for the first corner kick, which yielded no fruits for the home side.
Peter Yakubu threw the Park into wild jubilation on the 14th minute when his right footer beat the Zaytuna keeper and rolled into the back of the net to register the first goal for RTU.
The visitors nearly restored themselves immediately but the RTU defence proved unbeatable and managed to deflect the ball to a wasted corner kick in the 15th minute.
From the 30th minute, both teams played a balanced game with Zaytuna winning the high balls and were swift at the RTU goal area but lacked the scoring ability to convert their chances.
All efforts to increase the tally proved futile while Zaytuna also failed to redeem the lone goal before the referee whistled to end the first half in favour of RTU.
On resumption, RTU came back with more vigour and hungrier for more goals and Alhassan Weah made sure he registered his name on the score sheet when he headed home from a corner kick in the 47th minute delivered by Peter Yakubu.
The second half goal nearly demoralized the Zaytuna boys whom the Kaladan fans called "MTN House" but they persevered and withstood the pressure and defended gallantly to avoid more goals.
Fatawu Owen, Peter Yakubu, Alhassan Weah made way for Philip Amoako, Kwame Asare and Abdul-Salim Alhassan, but the changes failed to work the trick for RTU.
Zaytuna changed the pattern of their game and depended on fast and long passes and made several attempts at the RTU goal but could not just beat Najewu Issah in goal for the home side.
When the match seemed to be ending with a two nil victory for RTU, Zaytuna played the "The Never Say Die” attitude when Amoako Agyeman scored a goal on the 90th minute to end the match 2-1 in favour of RTU.
Coach Ibrahim Sunday of Zaytuna told the GNA Sports after the match that his boys could have done better if they were not jittery especially in front of goal.
He said the boys gave a lot of respect for RTU, hence their inability to win the match and expressed the hope that they would do well in their remaining matches to be part of the top four teams at the end of the league.
