Hearts of Oak’s first match of the 2023/24 Ghana Premier League didn’t go as planned, as they were surprised by Real Tamale United (RTU) in their season opener at the Aliu Mahama Stadium on Friday night.
Despite having a new technical team and significant changes to their playing squad, the Phobians were hoping for a strong performance on the highly anticipated opening day.
However, their opponents, who have previously achieved positive results against the former Ghana champions, secured a narrow victory.
Even though the Pride of the North made ambitious efforts in the first half, there were no goals.
Hearts of Oak planned to make a statement in the second half, but RTU prevented them from gaining momentum.
Coach Martin Koopman introduced new signings Evans Adomako, Wanet Ramos and Glid Otanga in the second half but it didn’t yield the desired results as RTU maintained their lead.
Eric Owusu Afriyie scored the decisive goal from a corner in injury time, securing all three points for the Tamale-based side.
After a remarkable pre-season campaign with numerous goals scored against their opponents, the Phobians must wait until they host Nsoatreman at the Accra Sports Stadium next weekend to seek a win in the new season.
Meanwhile, the victory will boost RTU’s confidence as they prepare for their first away game of the season against newly promoted side Bofoakwa Tano.