Four things learnt in Asante Kotoko 1-0 victory over Hearts of Oak
Hearts of Oak were stung by a Franck Etouga Mbella goal from the spot as Asante Kotoko earned a 1-0 win in Kumasi on Sunday afternoon.
For large parts of the game it looked like The Porcupine Warriors would ease to a comfortable win, but that was not to be with Mbella, Gama and Mfegues missing glaring chances. Four things have been learnt from the game.
Sensational Imoro at it again
After a very underwhelming early start to the season, where Ibrahim Imoro looked like a shadow of his artistic self, Kotoko’s left-back has seemed to find a new lease of life in the last few games. After a brilliant performance in the stalemate with Karela and another fine performance in Kotoko’s 1-0 win over King Faisal where he was fortunatee to score the only goal of the game, Imoro was back at it again.
He was the catalyst for everything good that happened in the attacking and defending half, running at the defenders, and was keeping the ball moving with his quick incisive passing. He was unfortunate to not have scored in the early minutes of the game. If these last three games are any indication, then we are now finally witnessing Ibrahim Imoro come into his own in a Kotoko shirt.
Make no mistake, Franck Etouga Mbella is an outrageously talented and gifted footballer.
With a wand of a right and lethal foot and, coupled with his insane finishing skills, he is a delight to watch every time he takes on to the field. But in the last few games, we have seen a change in the way Mbella approaches his game, and it’s not exactly a good change.
Selfish Mbella
In this game, Mbella was culpable of being too selfish at times, and not for the first time this season.
In the early exchanges of the game, Mbella had a chance to release Georges Mfegues, who was unmarked at the edge of the 18 yard box, but decided to take the shot on himself, resulting in his effort being blocked.
In another instance, after a blocked effort by Mfegues reached Mbella, he once again went for a shot on goal, this time overlooking Gama who was in a much better position. Now normally you can put that down to overconfidence or the exuberance of youth, but there is a pattern emerging in Mbella’s play which is evidence of the fact that he is trying to do too much himself.
There is no doubt that he will go on to become a brilliant footballer in his own right, but he will have to learn to pick and choose his opportunities based on the situations in the game.
Kwadwo Obeng Junior fails to make an impression
It wasn’t all good news for Hearts fans on Sunday with Kwadwo Obeng Junior once again failing to make a meaningful impact. Up against a hard-working Kotoko defence, the Hearts forward failed to find any space but perhaps more worryingly, he failed to make any impact in the area.
Famed for his ability to pop-up with a crucial goal, those late runs into the penalty box which became his trademark last term have all dried up this season, and that is a concern for the Hearts faithful. If he was fit, then his performance was dismal and if he played through injury, then, it raises even more questions as to why he lasted the entire duration of the game.
Yussif Mubarik serves a timely reminder of his quality for Kotoko
Kotoko earned what looked like a sweet victory over their sworn rivals on Sunday. However, Samuel Boadu’s men made the Porcupine Warriors work hard for the points as they them a good game.
As recently as the beginning of this season, there was a nonsensical consensus even from the fans of Kotoko, that Yussif Mubarik who won the MVP against Hearts wasn’t good enough to play for the club. With his recent outings, it is clear just how daft that view was.
The towering centre-back has become one of Kotoko’s most important players this season and in a combative, gruelling afternoon at the Baba Yara sports stadium, he was at his imperious best. He was stoic and rock steady as he helped see off some dangerous moves from Samuel Boadu’s men.
