Patrick Razak’s Second-Half Strike Gives Phobians Narrow Win

Patrick Razak scored a stunning second-half goal to earn Hearts of Oak a 1-0 victory in a scrappy match with Asante Kotoko at the Baba Yara stadium on Sunday.

In a drab first half, Kotoko came close to opening the scoring but goalkeeper Ben Mensah produced a great save to deny Sonnie Yacouba.

Hearts’ best spell fell to Joseph Esso, who shot wide from close range following a brilliant pass from Patrick Razak.

After the break, Sonnie Yacouba rattled the crossbar with a stunning effort before Hearts shot into the lead courtesy Patrick Razak.

The result lifts Hearts of Oak to 8th place in the table, while Asante Kotoko have dropped from top four to 10th.

In a sluggish opening period, neither side could establish dominance with possession frequently given away cheaply. Both sides, lacking creativity in midfield, found it difficult to appease teeming fans.

As a result, an uninspiring stalemate ensued – and it was difficult to see who might inject some much-needed pace and inventiveness into the match.

The first half chance came Kotoko’s way and Yacouba was unlucky to see his brilliant effort from free kick saved by Mensah.

The game opened up a little after the break, but Kotoko took great control. Yacouba rattled the crossbar with a free kick.

However, against the run of play, Hearts stunned the hosts when Razak picking the ball out wide on the left, cut inside before unleashing a stunning strike into the back of the net.

The goal scored in the 64th minute proved to be the decider as Hearts ended their three-game winless run as well as claim the first bragging rights of the season.

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