Wa All Stars have become Ghana Premier League champions with a game to spare after beating Aduana Stars 2-1 in a winner takes all affair in Wa. Saddick Alhassan scored the winning goal from the penalty spot on the 83 minute to seal a first league title for the side owned by GFA president Kwesi Nyantekyi.
The result means Aduana Stars who are three points behind All Stars cannot catch them based on the head to head rule after winning the reverse fixture 1-0 in Dormaa.
All Stars scored first through Paul Asare before Bright Adjei equalised all inside the first ten minutes. The home side then went on to miss a penalty before finding the winner late on to seal the league title to the delight of coach Enos Adepa.
When the shot left the boot of Sadiq Mumuni and rattled the back of the net, the whole stadium erupted. It was greatness all over. A surreal moment for the people of Wa and all fans of the club. It was purely a game of grit, nail biting moments and mere fact that everything was at stake today.
For the players who wanted to make history for the club, this is their time to brag and drink up a few pints of beer to celebrate a historic win. From the onset, it wasn’t too hard to see which side wanted this the most. Wa All Stars were cool, composed and stung at the right times. Resilient by nature, Aduana never gave up throughout the game.
Pushing, getting into crunch tackles and very determined to bring home a second league title and a first since 2010 when they rode a difficult course to pick it up.
All Stars Paul Asare gave them the lead under 3 minutes but the lead was cancelled out by Aduana’s Bright Adjei, who registered his 11th goal of what has been an impressive season. Wa All Stars were awarded a penalty in the first half for a chance to go ahead but it was missed by Richard Arthur.
Pandemonium broke when Wa All Stars were handed a second penalty. Aduana players and management cried foul, the game had to be halted for close to five minutes. It restarted and Sadiq Alhassan slotted home to give All Stars all three points, a league trophy and a year’s worth of bragging rights.
A bit of credit must go to Aduana for how well they played all through the season. They lost their first four games of the seasons before appointing coach Ciaoba Aristica and it seemed to have worked for them only to be halted by All Stars in the run in to the title.
It’s been an exciting season. A season to remember and for the neutrals, one they’ll remember for years because there is a new name on the trophy.
Kudos Wa All Stars.
By Michael Oti Adjei|TV3 Sports|Ghana
Twitter: @3newsgh