Port City continued their impressive start to life in the Ghana Premier League with a convincing 2-0 victory over Bibiani Gold Stars at Dun’s Park on Sunday.
The league newcomers produced a strong first-half performance, scoring twice within the opening 20 minutes to put themselves in a commanding position before the break.
Port City took the lead after just eight minutes when Gideon Waja produced a defence-splitting pass to release Emmanuel Intori.
Intori showed composure inside the attacking area before lifting the ball over Gold Stars goalkeeper Emmanuel Kobi to give the visitors an early advantage.
The home side struggled to recover from the setback and were punished again twelve minutes later when Port City doubled their lead.
Owusu Ansah delivered a well-placed cross into the danger area, and Robert Gyamfi made no mistake with his finish to put the visitors two goals ahead.
The early double strike gave Port City confidence as they controlled much of the first half and forced Gold Stars to defend under sustained pressure.
Intori came close to adding another goal before the interval after receiving a long ball from the Port City defence.
The forward controlled the pass, carried the ball into the Gold Stars penalty area and created an opportunity for himself, but his final effort went over the crossbar.
Gold Stars returned for the second half with greater urgency and showed signs of trying to reduce the deficit.
The Miners pushed further forward and looked more threatening in attack, hoping to reproduce the fighting spirit that helped them secure a positive result against Dreams FC in their previous league outing.
Port City, however, remained organised at the back and dealt with Gold Stars’ attempts to get back into the contest.
Christopher Ennin’s side maintained their defensive shape and protected their two-goal advantage until the final whistle.
The victory gives Port City another valuable result in their debut Ghana Premier League campaign and moves them into third position on the league table.
For Gold Stars head coach Petros Koukouras, the defeat will be a disappointing outcome after his side had shown strong character in their previous match.
The Miners were unable to reproduce the level of intensity and determination that earned them victory against Dreams FC and instead found themselves trailing by two goals before the first half had ended.
The defeat also leaves Bibiani Gold Stars in the bottom three of the league standings, increasing the importance of their next fixture.
Gold Stars will now turn their attention to their upcoming away encounter against Vision FC, where they will be hoping to respond quickly and return to winning ways.
Port City, meanwhile, will look to maintain their strong momentum when they travel to face defending champions Medeama SC in their outstanding league fixture in midweek.
The result at Dun’s Park represents another important step for Port City as they continue adapting to the demands of top-flight football.
Their ability to score twice early and then withstand Gold Stars’ second-half response ensured they returned from Bibiani with all three points.
