Heart of Lions produced a dramatic late comeback to secure their first victory of the 2026/27 Ghana Premier League season, defeating Young Apostles 2-1 at the Nana Abrefa Nketia VII Stadium in Wenchi on Sunday.
Young Apostles started the match with great intensity and took the lead as early as the fourth minute through Samuel Prempeh.
The early breakthrough gave the home side confidence as they looked to respond strongly following their heavy 3-0 defeat to Debibi United in their previous league match.
Apostles worked hard to protect their advantage and attempted to control the game, but Heart of Lions gradually grew into the contest as the match progressed.
The visitors improved considerably after the break and began asking more questions of the Young Apostles defence.
Their pressure eventually resulted in an equaliser in the 55th minute when Francis Odoom converted a penalty to bring Heart of Lions level at 1-1.
The game then took another dramatic turn ten minutes later when Heart of Lions were reduced to ten players.
Abdul Jalilu was shown a red card in the 65th minute, leaving the Kpando-based side with the difficult task of finishing the match with one player fewer.
The numerical disadvantage appeared to give Young Apostles an opportunity to regain control of the encounter and secure all three points on home soil.
However, Heart of Lions refused to retreat completely and continued to search for a winning goal despite their reduced numbers.
The visitors remained determined and continued attacking whenever opportunities presented themselves, putting the Young Apostles defence under pressure during the closing stages.
Their persistence finally paid off deep into stoppage time when Mustapha Yakubu scored in the 95th minute to complete a remarkable turnaround.
Yakubu’s late strike sent Heart of Lions into celebration and secured a memorable 2-1 away victory after the team had initially fallen behind and later been reduced to ten men.
The final whistle confirmed a dramatic win for the Kpando-based club, who showed considerable determination to fight for all three points despite the setback of playing with ten men for the final stages.
The result provides a major boost to Heart of Lions, who entered the match still searching for their first victory of the new Premier League campaign.
For Young Apostles, the defeat will be particularly disappointing after they had taken an early lead and appeared to be in a strong position to secure victory.
The home side were also unable to make their numerical advantage count after Jalilu’s dismissal, allowing Heart of Lions to continue pushing for the decisive goal.
Young Apostles will now have to regroup and address their failure to protect a lead, while Heart of Lions can build on the dramatic victory as they continue their campaign.
The match ultimately produced one of the most dramatic finishes of the weekend, with Heart of Lions turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory through a late winner in the fifth minute of added time.
