Wonder Club, Accra Great Olympics, fought from behind to beat Tema Youth 2-1 at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi yesterday to make a return to the First Capital Plus Premier League after four seasons in the lower division.
Olympics scored in each half after Tema Youth had taken an early lead and were in full control of the game.
The result dashed the hopes of the Tema side, who were hoping to make a quick return to top flight football in the final zone III Division One Middle League, which also involved Okwawu United and Istanbul.
Isaac Nyarko scored what would have been a dream goal for Tema Youth in the 18th minute from close range to make up for an 11th minute penalty request turned down by FIFA Referee Joseph Lamptey, when experienced Ekow Benson was brought down in the Olympic penalty box.
Olympics’s search for the equalising goal was thwarted by Tema Youth goalie Abraham Odonkor who made a number of brilliant saves until the 44th minute when Abraham Annan headed home a free kick by Dotse Agbashie. It was the tonic the Wonder Club needed to continue their battle for the sole qulification ticket from the zone.
Six minutes into the second half, Joseph Armah scored what could pass for his most precious goal for Olympics to take a 2-1 lead and never looked back in a determined effort to move out of the so-called ‘football wilderness’ into the elite division.
Benson, Nicholas Odjer and a number of Tema Youth players who were part of the side relegated to Division One football last season, were in their best of forms. But some questionable refereeing decisions by Lamptey nearly ended the drama-filled match abruptly, after Tema Youth CEO, Wilfred Osei Palmer, ordered his boys to abandon the match in the 84th minute in protest against what they perceived as biased officiating.
Indeed, Palmer carried through his threat as his charges walked off the pitch, but that action was brief as their player Issah Huzeifa and King Faisal boss, Alhaji Abdul Karim Gruzah, cooled down tempers and convinced them to continue with play.
Olympics defended with zeal as Tema Youth mounted a series of attacks but on each occasion they were frustrated by the referee who was booed and insulted by fans.
In the other zone III fixture, Okwawu United suffered their third straight defeat in the playoff after losing 1-0 to Istanbul at the Len Clay stadium at Obuasi.
