The newly appointed head coach of Medeama Sporting Club, Ibrahim Tanko has expressed satisfaction with his charges after they beat Legon Cities on Sunday at the Tarkwa na Aboso Stadium in matchday 19 of the 2024/2025 Ghana Premier League, courtesy Nurudeen Abdulai’s 69th-minute header.
The experienced manager took full control of the Mauve and Yellows on Thursday, January 30, 2025, with high hopes around the club’s poor run of results despite the injury situation in camp. Medeama had before the 1-0 victory over the Accra-based side on Sunday played four consecutive Ghana Premier League matches without a win, drew with Kotoko and Nsoatreman, and lost to Berekum Chelsea and Accra Lions in the process.
Medeama lined up as follows:
In the first half of the afternoon, neither side scored. Medeama Sporting Club attacked heavily and dictated the game but remained wasteful in front of the goal. Bernadino Osah Tetteh and Derrick Fordjour were the worst culprits. Both came close, but the visitor’s goalie rose to every occasion.
Medeama’s goalkeeper, Felix Kyei was barely tested in the first half, an applause owed to the defensive network, particularly, central defender Nurudeen Abdulai, who was deployed as a defensive midfielder to screen the defense. Three yellow cards were flashed to the opponents for indecent tackles.
Coach Ibrahim Tanko and his technical team threw in quick double substitutions 14 minutes into the second half, bringing on Richard Appiah and Daouda Sidebe, who were registered in the second transfer windows for Bernardinho Tetteh and Michael Sarpong to add some firepower in attack. The substitution yielded instant results within ten minutes, as Medeama broke the jinx of the game by scoring the first goal and the eventual match-winner from a Prince Owusu corner connected home by Nurudeen Abdulai in the 69th minute of the match.
The goal opened the game up as Legon Cities team tried to fight back with some substitutions and change of tactics but was duly responded to by the Medeama coaching staff through the introduction of Fatawu Sulemana, Nana Kofi Babil, and Osei Yaw for Bashiru, Prince Owusu, and Kamaradini respectively.
Medeama created a lot of goal-scoring opportunities but could not make them count. The away side ended the match with ten men following a second bookable offense but that could not result in further goals.
The win brings Medeama’s accumulated points to 29 while maintaining their position in the GPL table and will make a short trip to Samreboi to face Samartex 1996 on Sunday.
Nurudeen Abdulai, who scored the only goal in the match was voted the NASCO Man of the Match.
Speaking to the Media after the game, Coach Ibrahim Tanko, who supervised his first match as Medeama gaffer expressed satisfaction with the scoreline and the determination of his players but indicated the need for his side to improve in attack in subsequent matches.