A Maxwell Abbey header 20 minutes from time dragged Olympics from the jaws of defeat in a dicey Mantse derby (derby of kings) and set the Ghana Premier League on the edge.
Hearts had taken the lead early in the second half from Emmanuel Nettey’s screamer loud enough to deserve a toast from the gods who were in a mood for a great Homowo festival.
And they were just gods. The Phobians had been denied what, with a benefit of a replay, was a banger of a goal fired from 30 yards, by Isaac Mensah in the first half, hitting the roof and crossing the line after an awkward bounce. The referee, Rustum Gameli waved play on. He was human. But the gods were gods. From nothing, they conjured a goal that may well contend for a goal of the season and set the stadium agog.
Nettey latched onto a weak goal keeper’s clearance from a corner and fired a thunderbolt outside the box which zoomed into the top right corner of the net for Heart’s opener and an injury to the Olympics goal keeper.
A goal was the only thing lacking in a game so fluid with great attacking repertoire, superb team effort and breathtaking pieces of individual skills and when it came, it had class written all over it.
It was a goal the Phobians needed badly to regain top spot of the league which had been taken over by arch rivals and title contenders Asante Kotoko who had beaten Ashgold by a lone goal in yet another derby.
And the goal came. They even had many chances to put the game beyond the reach of their local rivals but they were profligate in front of goal. Olympics were no pushovers either. Even though they created very few chances they were a delight to watch with Gladson Awako pulling the strings in the middle.
There was no love lost between the two, a league title at stake and a bragging right to command. Safe to say, everything was at stake. Hearts wanted a bit of everything more and were the dominant side in the early embers of the game.
Raddy Ovouka was a beast on the left for the Phobians defending and attacking with panache. His rampaging runs and sweet crosses proved unbearable for Olympics but Hearts failed to make it count. Obeng Jnr was the worst culprit missing with his head and feet at different times.
Hearts had something to smile about when Mensah fired that thunderbolt but the referee would have none of that. The game went into a barren first half even with all its drama, a great advertisement for a league that has potential to rival many others on the continent and even some European leagues.
From recess, the Phobians again took the game to their rivals in a desperate search for their opener. It was only a matter of time. Oly held on until the 51st minute when Hearts opened their account with that stupendous goal.
With a yawning net but an acute angle, Isaac Mensah needed a cooler head to walk the ball into the net but on impulse, he decided to squeeze it through the angle, missing the chance in the process.
The game was fast paced, feisty and friendly at the same time but it was the Oly boys who took advantage of a momentary lack of concentration when a sneaky Maxwell Abbey sent in a powerful header for the equalizer with 20 minutes left.
The Dade boys also had a rare opportunity to take the lead but after rounding up the Hearts goal keeper, Maxwell totally miscued.
After 10 minutes of added time, owing to injury and substitution by the Olympics goal keeper, the game ended in a draw, with lots of missed chances, especially by the Phobians.
Despite dropping two valuable points, Hearts remain on top with 50 points but with a superior goal difference from Kotoko who have the same points.
