Debibi stun Hearts 1-0 as Kotoko hold Medeama in GPL week 9

Matchday 9 of the Ghana Premier League delivered the kind of weekend that keeps fans arguing all week. Nine matches played across Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November produced 12 goals, six victories and three draws, with the biggest shock coming from debutants Debibi United and the title race tightening at the top.

At Debibi Presby Park, newly promoted Debibi United stunned Accra Hearts of Oak 1-0, ending the Phobians’ three-match winning run. GhanaSoccernet reports that Demetrous Sarkodie scored the only goal of the game in the second half, a result that lifted the debutants out of the relegation zone and dropped Hearts to third on the table with 17 points. For a club playing its first top-flight season, beating one of Ghana’s most decorated teams is the result their supporters will talk about for years.

The weekend’s headline fixture at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi ended in a 1-1 draw between Asante Kotoko and defending champions Medeama SC. GhanaSoccernet reports that Medeama took the lead through Usman Safianu’s first-half header, before Kotoko captain Musa Hamzata restored parity with a powerful second-half header of his own. The point keeps Medeama at the summit with 18 points, level with FC Samartex, while Kotoko sit on 13 points and still searching for the consistency their fans demand.

Samartex kept pace at the top with a 1-0 victory over Bibiani Gold Stars in the Western derby at the Nsenkyire Sports Arena. Christian Agyenim Boateng converted a first-half penalty to earn the Timber Giants their fourth win of the campaign and move them level on points with Medeama, behind only on goal difference.

In Dormaa Ahenkro, Aduana FC returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over regional rivals Berekum Chelsea in the Bono derby. GhanaSoccernet reports that Stephen Amankona scored in each half to settle the contest, a timely response for the Ogya Boys after their previous defeat to Medeama. The win lifts Aduana into the top four on 16 points.

Dreams FC finally got their season moving with a 1-0 away victory over Basake Holy Stars at the AAK II Sports Arena. Bernard Kokonu scored the decisive second-half goal after Holy Stars had been reduced to ten men, ending Dreams’ wait for a first league win of the campaign, although they remain bottom of the table with six points and plenty of work ahead.

Elsewhere, FC AshantiGold came from behind to beat Swedru All Blacks 2-1, ending the hosts’ three-match winning streak and ten-match unbeaten home record, while Heart of Lions edged Bechem United 2-1 in Kpando. Vision FC and Port City FC played out a goalless draw, as did Young Apostles and Karela United, in a weekend where defences often had the upper hand.

The table after nine rounds tells the story of a league with no runaway leader. Medeama and Samartex sit joint-top on 18 points, Hearts follow on 17 and Aduana on 16, while at the bottom Dreams sit last with six points and Young Apostles second-bottom with seven. Attention now turns to Matchday 10, where Medeama travel to face All Blacks on Sunday 8 November, and where Hearts and Kotoko will both be desperate to turn draws and defeats back into wins.

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