Heart of Lions head coach Bashir Hayford has heaped praise on Asante Kotoko following their 1-1 draw on matchday 25 of the Ghana Premier League.
The entertaining clash at the Kpando Stadium saw Kotoko extend their unbeaten run to eight matches, maintaining their position at the top of the league standings.
Justice Blay gave the visitors the lead with a well-taken goal in first-half stoppage time, handing Kotoko a slim advantage at the break. But Lions wasted no time in responding, as Fawzi Ali found the equaliser just two minutes into the second half.
Despite both sides pushing for a winner in an intense, end-to-end second half, neither team could make their chances count in front of goal.
Speaking after the game, Coach Hayford acknowledged Kotoko’s strong performance while also applauding the efforts of his own players.
“Kotoko fought very hard. We made all efforts to beat them but it didn’t happen. We had to fight from behind to draw with Kotoko. It was a tough match. The boys fought hard but the goals didn’t come and we splitted points,” he said.
However, the experienced tactician also expressed concern over the general lack of clinical finishing among players in the Ghana Premier League.
“The problem is finishing. In Ghana, we have strikers but we don’t have finishers. They always run and mess up in the final third. I always work on my strikers just to improve on scoring,” he lamented.
The result keeps Heart of Lions firmly in third place as they continue their push for a top-four finish. Their next test will be against Berekum Chelsea, another side with top-four ambitions.
