Interim boss Prince Yaw Owusu did not mince words after Asante Kotoko stumbled in the Super Clash, pointing squarely at a moment of hesitation from goalkeeper Mohammed Camara as the turning point in their defeat to Hearts of Oak.
Owusu, handed the reins only days after the club’s separation from Abdul Karim Zito, took charge of his first marquee encounter at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. The occasion had all the intensity expected of Ghana’s fiercest rivalry, but one early misjudgment proved fatal.
Just 15 minutes in, Hearts forward Baba Adamu capitalised on Camara’s positioning, rising to nod home with the Kotoko shot-stopper stranded off his line. It was a brief lapse in an otherwise fiercely competitive contest, yet it was enough to decide it.
Kotoko pressed, probed and pushed for a response, but Hearts held firm. For Owusu, the margins were painfully thin.
“I think the boys did their best. They kept fighting until the end. It’s just the mistake from the goalkeeper that cost us,” he said.
Defeat. pic.twitter.com/IiufXs4mvG
— Asante Kotoko SC – 2X CAF CL Winners🥇 (@AsanteKotoko_SC) February 15, 2026
While he applauded the resilience and work rate of his side, the interim trainer admitted the defeat carries heavier consequences beyond derby bragging rights:
“This loss makes our title chase very difficult. Now we have to fight very hard if we want to win the league.”
The result leaves the Porcupine Warriors fifth on the Ghana Premier League log with 35 points, trailing leaders Medeama SC by nine.
With fixtures running out and momentum crucial at this stage of the campaign, Kotoko’s margin for error has all but vanished.
For Owusu, the challenge is now twofold: steady the dressing room and reignite belief in a squad whose championship hopes have been dented by a single, costly misstep.
