Isaac Mensah entered the fray in stoppage time and scored an equaliser in the 99th minute to salvage a 1-1 draw for Hearts of Oak away to Bibiani GoldStars in the first game of match-day 21 of the 2022/23 betPawa Ghana Premier League (GPL) on Saturday.
At Dun’s Park, GoldStars had been on course to pick up their first league victory against the Phobians after keeping a lead for more than 90 minutes. But the never-say-die spirit of the Phobians was invoked at the end of the contest.
Left-back Evans Owusu gave the Miners the lead albeit thanks to a fortuitous goal in the 4th minute.
An attempted cross from the ex-Kotoko man took a deflection off Amankwah Baafi with the ball completely beating goalkeeper Eric Ofori-Antwi who had filled in for suspended first-choice Richmond Ayi. The ball flew into the side post before crossing the line.
Owusuuuuu!!!@GoldStarsSc 1-0 @HeartsOfOakGH
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But Hearts struck back at the last touch of the game as Mensah headed home from fellow second-half substitute Salifu Ibrahim’s free-kick to spark wild celebrations among the away fans at Bibiani.
Isaac Mensah to the rescue.@GoldStarsSc 1-1 @HeartsOfOakGH
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For the most part, the Phobians struggled to maintain control of the game.
As the game approached the halfway point, Benjamin Yorke had a chance to level for Hearts, but his effort was blocked by defender Samuel Amofah.
In the second half, Ofori-Antwi excelled in net for his side, producing two crucial saves to keep them in the match.
Despite Appiah McCarthy unleashing a powerful free-kick in the 57th minute, Ofori-Antwi again denied GoldStars a second goal.
The sucker punch arrived late on after Hearts of Oak made a lot of attacking substitutions. One of the fresh legs thrown into the game was Mensah who came on in the 94th minute and scored the leveller 5 minutes later.
The draw in Bibiani means Hearts of Oak move to 32 points – one more than GoldStars – in the league standings after 21 games.
Bibiani GoldStars defender Farouk Adams won the man-of-the-match award.
