Heart of Lions coach, Van Der Pluym punched the air three times and his staff followed him onto the pitch to celebrate a momentous occasion in the history of his club. Lions had just beaten Hearts of Oak 1:0, in a competitive match after eleven times trying. Lions had drawn just twice against Hearts of Oak and lost a whopping nine in II competitions since attaining premier league status in 2002. But on Sunday at the Cape Coast Robert Mensah Stadium, the jinx was broken. "I am very happy. Honestly today the boys played with commitment and determination that was very impressive. I told you it will change today," Pluym told the All Sports newspaper. The only goal of the game was scored by Abraham Annan after Hearts goalie Ibrahim Sannie had punched a direct shot from new Lion signing Daniel Addoquaye Addo. Sani did well to keep the first shot out but could do little about the rebound. Hearts were not top of their quality even though they fought throughout the 90 minutes and Lions could have had four goals from the chances they created including rattling the cross bar. "I must confess. Hearts did not do well today. At certain times it was as if it was not Accra Hearts of Oak playing. We were lucky to get just one. The score line could have been four or three but that is football. It was like a different team," said Albert Commey, the Public Relations Officer of Hearts of Oak. “Bad performance from my team” said Mitko Dobrev, the Bulgarian coach of Hearts of Oak. “Lions very tactical and very good. My team, not have a good day in this game. Not fast, not strong but we will be better next week against Asante Kotoko. This is a game I must forget. Now I only plan for Kotoko." Dobrev may well want to forget the game quickly because Lions pried open his defense set up many times. “We are playing here without our regular players, about nine of them. But our two strikers played well. And off course we won!” maintains Plyum. Heart of Lions had beaten every team at one time or the other. But not Hearts of Oak. "It is very difficult to beat them" said Richard, the Welfare manager of Lions. Pluym whose tactics won the game however insists that it was the mental attitude that won the day for Lions. “I know psychology is a big part of the game. So I kept giving my boys confidence and telling them that they could win this game. I kept hammering it into them during the game." Lions in spite of their coach’s big psychological approach to the game did not look assured in the opening stages of the game. Hearts immediately served intentions with two near chances but as the match wore on, Lions settled and started being fluid. It is the fluidity that caught Hearts of Oak static. Daniel Addoquaye who worked so hard up front for Lions told All Sports “When I hit the ball in the penalty area I thought I had scored. But I don’t know where the goalkeeper came from even though we scored from the rebound. The goal was for the team and not me; so if I did not score a goal, I’m praying hard that the goals will start coming.” But Addoquaye could have scored the team's second goal or even a third but his view is buttressed by his captain; "We thank God for this victory. Today we also made history by beating Hearts of Oak" said Jackson. Now after their win against Hearts, attention has turned to Berekum Arsenals at the Coronation Park on Sunday. "If the boys play like the way they played, they will go very far in the competition" said a very accommodating Mitko Dobrev, the coach of Hearts of Oak. Source: All Sports