https://www.myjoyonline.com/asante-kotoko-vs-hearts-of-oak-five-things-we-learnt-from-the-super-clash/-------https://www.myjoyonline.com/asante-kotoko-vs-hearts-of-oak-five-things-we-learnt-from-the-super-clash/

Arguably the most dramatic 0-0 you would ever witness as a football fan.

The 107th Super Clash saw no goals but had everything else; from penalty misses, to crossbar hits, to missed chances to crunchy tackles.

A balanced game in which both teams could have bowed out compensating themselves that they could have won it.

There was a lot of tactical mutual respect between the two sides with the closest the pair came to taking the lead being from the spot.

Richard Attah and Razak Abalora were the heroes for their respective clubs having provided commanding saves to deny their opponents from the spot.

Although the ball failed to hit the back of the net, here are five things we learnt form the Super Clash.

Samuel Nii Noi learning fast

Hearts of Oak came into this match handicapped on the mental side having hit a slump due to activities off the pitch.

The club lost a slew of coaches/managers and had to endure a fan protest outside its secretariat days ago.

However, Samuel Nii Noi, who was in charge of the U15s has managed to transform the situation.

Prior to this game, Nii Noi had won all his two games in charge beating Ebusua Dwarfs and Liberty.

Against Kotoko, the Phobians dominated large parts of the game winning the midfield battle.

Hearts of Oak looked impressive and came across as a side willing to fight and credit must go to the interim manager.

It remains unclear what the future holds for Nii Noi, however, whatever the case he has given a good account of himself.

Still the same old Patrick Razak

A typical Patrick Razak problem; create an opportunity out of nothing and then squander it completely.

Decision making has always been an issue for Razak who returned to Hearts at the beginning of the season.

The diminutive winger got into many good positions but failed to make any meaningful impact in the match.

He came close hitting the crossbar in the first half but could have made better decisions in the final third.

It comes as no surprise that Razak has scored zero goals this season.

A day off for Kotoko midfielders

Kotoko were expected to dominate the midfield considering the amount of consistency they’ve show in that department.

However, that wasn’t the case as the starting duo of Emmanuel Sarkodie and Latif Anabila spent most of their afternoon chasing shadows.

Latif Anabila made a lot of wrong choices on the day, always picking the more complicated pass. The former AshGold midfielder also gave away plenty fouls and ended up on a yellow card.

Sarkodie wasn’t at his best as he often gave the ball away and was caught out of position a number of times.

He later had to be withdrawn in the second half and was replaced by Adom Frimpong.

Frimpong also failed to put a stamp the game. Johnson Smith later had to consolidate the midfield by bringing on Salifu Mudasiru.

Goalkeepers shine brightest

Perhaps, the only reason fans failed to witness a goal throughout the match was the brilliance of both goalkeepers coupled with the lack of ingenuity upfront.

The focus, however, is on the two goalkeepers who made some crucial saves throughout the game.

Attah was called to action very early in the game when he had to face Kwame Opoku from 12 yards.

The striker smashed a low penalty to the lower left side of the goal and Attah was equal to it.

The reflex, timing and strength of Attah helped him keep Hearts in the game.

In the second half, it was the turn of Attah’s opposite number. Abalora, who initially brought Isaac Mensah down, was dominant from the spot as he made himself big to deny Mensah.

Both keepers in the space of one year, have had call-ups to the national team and Sunday's clash was a testament why.

Super Clash tag justified

Before the game, there were doubts as to whether this particular game might meet the previous clashes between the two sides in terms of publicity.

The fact that the game was going to be played behind closed doors left a lot of people wondering how the match would have been affected.

At the end of the day, the only way fans could watch the game was on Startimes. On the app alone, the viewership was over 120,000 at a point in the first half.

This doesn’t include viewers who watched through their decoders. So definitely, this clash did live up to the hype as fans were still interested in the game.

The Ghana Football Association have been preaching the message of bringing back the love for Ghana football for the past year, and it is evident the message is permeating the populace.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.


DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.



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