Kotoko silence Dreams FC
Asante Kotoko rallied from behind to beat Dreams FC 3-1 in their Ghana Premier League match day 23 encounter on Saturday at the Len Clay Stadium in Obuasi.
Having been dislodged from the second position by fellow title challengers Olympics, Kotoko needed the win very much in their bid to contest for the title.
They gave the game the best shot, fully aware of the danger Dreams wield, having beaten Hearts of Oak 2-0 the previous weekend.
Coach Mariano Barreto made only one change to the Kotoko squad that won 1-0 against Legon Cities FC last week and they responded appropriately.
With injuries to a few men upfront, Brazilian striker Michael Vinícius Silva de Morais has his first start, operating in the role of Godfred Asamoah.
With the galaxy of stars available, Dreams enjoyed the greater part of possession, dictating the pace of the game with Kotoko very organized at the back to thwart their efforts.
Kotoko accepted the challenge and carried the game to the visitors but against the run of play, they conceded in the 38th minute through Agyenim Boateng Mensah who scored from the spot.
This came after Brazilian playmaker Fabio Gama dos Santos handled the ball inside the goal area.
But the celebration was short-lived after just four minutes.
An attack from the home team found them in the area of Dreams FC with a decent cross from Emmanuel Gyamfi being powered home by Brazilian striker Vinícius to end the half on parity.
But Kotoko resumed the second half strongly and snatched the leader in the 57th minute; this time with central defender, Abdul Ganiu Ismail converting a penalty in the 57th minute as midfielder Mudasiru Salifu was brought down inside the box by the Dreams defenders leading to the penalty.
Substitute Francis Andy Kumi put the icing on the cake for the Reds as he beautifully connected a pass from Mudasiru Salifu following an excellent run 10 minutes from full-time.
