
Asante Kotoko jumped to the top of the 2024/25 Ghana Premier League table following a slim 1-0 victory over strugglers Karela United on Sunday, January 26.
Kotoko midfielder Justice Blay converted a 64th minute penalty to give the Porcupine Warriors all three points at the Baba Yara Stadium. The win was the record league holders’ sixth straight games without a defeat.

Kotoko head coach Prosper Narteh Ogum admits that the victory against Karela was tough as the opponent came in stronger:
“The opposition, they were very physical. They came very strongly in terms of tactics, they sat very deep in their own half which is a low block and they tried as much as possible to make sure that they outnumber us in the middle of the park."
“And they tried also as much as possible to always be first to the ball so that actually made it very difficult for us to penetrate but then in the second half, we engaged them and made them understand that we need to try and play a lot of combos, try to also stretch them right so that the spaces that they leave behind them, we can use those spaces."
“And it was through one of those combos that Baba Yaya got into the box and he was brought down. I think it was a good game, it was a good test for us in terms of the second round and as we go on it will boost our confidence,” coach Ogum said.

On the other end, Karela United head coach Amadu Nurudeen has admitted that the club will struggle in its relegation survival:
“We are at the bottom and this is the second round of the league [and] for me the current league is played in the first round...If you don’t accumulate more points, the second round it will be more difficult because there are people who contending to win the league, there are others who want to get into the top four," said Nurudeen.
“So anytime your home match, your away match it is really difficult. After the first round, we didn’t have any break unlike previous times (when) we will have two weeks, three weeks and that is the time maybe you should look for some strikers and also at least organize your team but this time the first round last match and the next thing we are playing so that makes it very challenging.”
Asante Kotoko have 34 points from 18 league matches and will now turn attention to their journey to Nsoatreman in week 19 on February 2 at 3:00pm WAT.
Nurudeen and his squad must quickly turn things around for Karela United whose next game is a tough one at home to former champions Berekum Chelsea on Sunday, February 2 at 3:00pm WAT.
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