Today in Sports History: The Second leg match of the CAF Champions League between Hearts of Oak and St George FC ends abruptly. “The Miracle in Obuasi”
On this day 1 April 2006 (Exactly 17 years ago today) The second leg match of the CAF Champions league between Accra Hearts of Oak and St George FC of Ethiopia at the Obuasi Len Clay Stadium came to an abrupt end inside the additional time of the first half when the visitors refused to continue play in protest against a penalty awarded to Hearts.
Hearts Bernard Don Bortey, who played an inspirational game had put the Phobians two goals ahead at the time of the incident.
He gave Hearts the lead through a penalty in the 30th minute and followed up eight minutes into injury time with an intelligent indirect free kick awarded to Hearts inside the 18 yard box.
As the first half was about to end, referee Aunguudissou Crespin from Benin who had already incurred the displeasure of the visitors as a result of his decisions awarded another penalty against the Ethiopian side.
The referee’s decision sent both players and officials of St. George into wild protest and refusal to continue play and after several minutes of their unyielding stand, the referee whistled for the end of the game.
Immediately the referee whistled for the end of the game at that time, the Hearts players, some of them holding their jerseys run towards their supporters in a mood of sweet jubilation.
The frustration of the Ethiopians started in the early minutes of the game when the referee started booking them for the least offence. By the 15th minute three of their players, including skipper Mulualew Regasa had been shown the yellow card.
Hearts who were determined to cancel the four-goal deficit they suffered in Ethiopia two weeks earlier , threw everything into the game and could have earned early goals but over ambition and over exaggeration upfront denied them the much needed lead.
By the fifth minute, the Phobians had wasted a free kick just outside the “18” yard box followed by two quick corner kicks. A golden opportunity fell in the eighth minute for Hearts but Francis Bossman’s feeble shot at goal was cleared by an Ethiopian defender. Hearts wasted two corner kicks in the 13th and 25th minutes as Don Bortey’s header to the second kick flew over the bar.
In the 30th minute, St George paid dearly for their defensive-minded game as Moses Andoh was fouled in the 18 to give Hearts the first penalty, which was neatly converted by Don Bortey.
