Premier League: Asante Kotoko breaks Karela United invincibility at Aiyinase

Coach Johnson Smith led Kumasi Asante Asante Kotoko  to break the home invincibility of  Karela United with a 2-0 victory at the Crosby Awuah Memorial Park in Aiyinase on Sunday.

Goals from Ibrahim Imoro and striker Kwame Opoku in the 39th and  61 minutes, respectively, secured the maximum points  for Kotoko in a match  which the bookmakers considered Kotoko as the underdogs,especially  considering the fact that Karela had remained unbeaten since they entered the Ghana Premier League.

Imoro’s goal

While Imoro’s goal came from a low driven shot that gave the Karela goalkeeper no chance, Opoku, considered  to be Kotoko’s most prolific striker, produced a clinical finish from Emmanuel Gyamfi’s pass  to secure the maximum points for the Porcupine Warriors.

The victory catapulted Kotoko to the top of the  league  ladder for the first time with 23 points  while Karela dropped to the third position with 22 points.

Early pressure

Moments after the match got underway, Karela started pilling pressure on the visitors with the view of taking an early lead, but Kotoko  massed up more men at the back to soak the early pressure.

Karela  continued to probe for the opener and came close in the 20th minute but defender, Yussif Mubarik, rescued Kotoko with a clearance to prevent a goal-bound strike before Razak Abalora  denied Karela’s Kwame Boateng with a brilliant save.

Kotoko started warming themselves into the game after the half-hour mark and managed to open the scores when Imoro fired a carpet shot to give his side a breather.

Kwame Opoku added his name to the score sheet with a brilliant connection to Emmanuel Gyamfi’s pass to ensure that the home invincibility of Karela was broken.