Players fight for the ball
Asante Kotoko suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Samartex 1996 in their Ghana Premier League Matchday 28 encounter at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Monday.
The match which was rained off during the first half on Sunday, resumed on Monday with Samartex taking control and dictating the pace of the game.
The visitors came close to opening the scoring in the early exchanges but were denied by Kotoko goalkeeper Aziz Haruna, who produced a fine save to push the ball over the bar.
Kotoko struggled to find their rhythm after the restart, with their attack failing to break through Samartex’s solid defence.
Peter Amidu Acquah came close to scoring after skillfully maneuvering his way into the penalty area, but his effort was easily gathered by the Samartex goalkeeper.
Samartex eventually broke the deadlock in the 56th minute when Boateng Christian headed home to give the visitors the lead.
Despite the backing of their passionate home supporters, Kotoko were unable to respond effectively as Samartex continued to dominate proceedings.
The visitors extended their advantage in the 82nd minute through Emmanuel Mamah, who capitalised on Kotoko’s defensive lapses to make it 2-0.
Samartex were reduced to 10 men three minutes later after Samed Kyei received his second yellow card of the game.
Kotoko managed to pull one back late in the game when Albert Amoah scored from a rebound after the Samartex goalkeeper failed to hold onto Ndongani Samba Gilbani’s penalty.
However, the Porcupine Warriors could not find an equaliser, as Samartex held on to secure a vital away victory.
The defeat leaves Kotoko in fourth position on the league table with 43 points.
FROM David Afum, Kumasi