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Brazilian forward Fabio Gama dos Santos scored his first goal for Asante Kotoko in their Ghana Premier League encounter with Eleven Wonders, but Samuel Boakye’s effort secured a 1-1 draw at Techiman on Saturday.
The teams therefore chose one point each from the matchday 18 match at Ohene Ameyaw Park.
The Porcupine Warriors have moved to third place in the league standings, one spot above their arch rivals Hearts of Oak, while Wonders is 13th on the record.
Kotoko’s new coach, Mariano Barreto, was unable to lead the team from the bench due to a delay in processing his work permit.
The Porcupine Warriors’ first eleven included center-back Ismail Abdul Ganiyu, who played for Ghana in their recent double-headed qualification for the 2021 African Cup of Nations against South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe.
Brazilian playmaker Gama also posted a starting spot, but there was no place on the team of the day for his compatriot Michael Vinicius, who recently sealed a move to the Kumasi-based team.
Interestingly, Wonders had two former Kotoko players in their lineup, while another made the bench.
Former Porcupines captain Amos Frimpong and midfielder Ollenu Ashitey started coach Ignatius Osei Fosu, while forward Alex Asamoah took a spot among the substitutes.
It only took six minutes for the match to find its first goal when Gama surpassed his marker to put the ball in the back of the net and make it 1-0 to Kotoko.
In the 15th minute, Guinean striker Naby Laye Keita tried to double the visitors’ lead, but his free kick from outside the box didn’t bother goalkeeper John Moosie.
That was followed shortly after by a counterattack in which Augustine Okrah’s lower left shot was denied by the plug.
After Ganiyu was on hand to clear the danger after Kotoko goalkeeper Razak Abalora went off his line only to miss an attempt to hit an air ball from an opponent’s head, Wonders broke the Porcupine Warriors defense four minutes later when Boakye found room to head a header into the net.
Just after the break, Boakye went looking for a second goal but his shot from outside the area was stopped by Abalora. At the opposite end, Okrah fired over the crossbar after outwitting his marker.
Wonders’ Tetteh Nortey finished off in the 79th minute and finally, after two minutes of injury time, the referee whistled to end the match.
