Salifu Ibrahim’s second-half strike inspired Hearts to a superb 0-1 victory over Bechem United. A master display from the midfielder turning the tide with a virtuoso display and a brilliant goal to hand Phobians a crucial victory in Bechem.
Samuel Boadu opted against rotation as he made one change in their last match.
Replacing midfielder Benjamin Afutu with ex-Aduana Stars defender Caleb Amankwah as Hearts aims to break the 8-year victory mark at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park. Hearts 5:3:2 system seemed to be working well with Salifu Ibrahim the engineer in chief in the middle.
Hafiz Konkoni nearly drew the first blood but Hearts defenders were there to clear the danger. An end-to-end action parked first 45 minutes of football. Bechem United defenders denied Kwadwo Obeng Junior a goal-bound clearance to stop the Hearts of Oak attacker.
Raddy Ovouka delivered a special ball into the host 18-yard box after a blistering run but the attackers failed once again to make it count. Hearts of Oak coach Samuel Boadu watched his side as they waste a host of chances with Kwadwo Obeng Junior and Patrick Razak all haven decent openings.
Ibrahim Salifu’s brilliant chip was dealt with by Bechem United’s goalkeeper Haruna Aziz Dari as Hearts continue to mount pressure minutes before the break. Bechem United striker Hafix Konkoni nearly broke the deadlock but Richard Attah’s movement denied the striker the needed composure to finish off a fine opportunity.
The host made a quick change by introducing Denis Modzaka in place of the injured Konkoni and that made an instant impact after the break. Hearts of Oak defender Robert Addo Sowah had to rescue the Phobians twice to deny a resurging Bechem attack during the hour mark.
That prompted Samuel Boadu to swiftly bring on Afriyie Barnieh for Victor Aidoo and instantly won a free-kick two minutes after his introduction Another quick change from Hearst that saw Abdul Manaf coming on for midfielder Emmanuel Nettey with Larry Sumaila also replacing Caleb Amankwa.
The host scored a goal after the hour mark but the referee had a different opinion as it was ruled offside. The deadlock was finally broken. Salifu Ibrahim gave Hearts the lead after calmly rolling the ball over Bechem United goalkeeper Aziz to put the giants in front.
It was not a flawless Hearts of Oak performance but you can’t deny the individual quality and team effort showed at a bogey ground by any means but being on the road certainly seems to suit them and they showed huge resilience, mixed with quality, for the victory that sends them up into second in the League table.
