Bashir Hayford Praises Kotoko’s Resilience After Draw, Bemoans Poor Finishing in Ghana Premier League

Head coach of Heart of Lions, Bashir Hayford, has lauded Asante Kotoko for their spirited display in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at the Kpando Stadium in matchday 25 of the Ghana Premier League.

The highly anticipated encounter saw league leaders Kotoko extend their unbeaten run to eight matches, maintaining their position at the summit of the table.

Justice Blay gave the visitors the lead with a composed finish in first-half stoppage time, only for Fawzi Ali to restore parity just two minutes after the break with a quick-fire equaliser.

Reflecting on the contest, Hayford commended Kotoko’s performance and acknowledged the challenge they posed.

“Kotoko fought very hard. We made all efforts to beat them but it didn’t happen,” Hayford told reporters after the game.

“We had to fight from behind to draw with Kotoko. It was a tough match. The boys fought hard but the goals didn’t come and we splitted points.”

Despite the result preserving Heart of Lions’ third-place standing, the experienced tactician voiced concerns over the broader issue of poor finishing in the Ghanaian top flight.

“The problem is finishing. In Ghana, we have strikers but we don’t have finishers,” he lamented. “They always run and mess up in the final third. I always work on my strikers just to improve on scoring.”

Heart of Lions will hope to sharpen their cutting edge ahead of their next fixture against Berekum Chelsea — a clash with potential top-four implications.