Captain Abubakari Abdul-Latif’s superbly struck free-kick and two late goals from substitutes Ebenezer Nii Arday and Oppong Maxwell ensured a comfortable 3-0 victory for Legon Cities against fellow Accra side, Inter Allies in their round of 64 MTN FA Cup clash at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The two Premier League sides were meeting for the second time this season to battle for a last 32 spot, after they shared the spoils in a 1-1 stalemate in the elite competition barely a month ago.
Both sides fielded second string teams with their sights fairly set on the weekend games with Legon Cities meeting Eleven Wonders whilst Inter Allies trek to Cape Coast to face Ebusua Dwarfs.
Cities shot ahead in the 11th minute when captain Abdul-Latif’s lowly struck free-kick went past Allies goalie Ofori Nyarko.
The goal incited a quick response from their opponents who nearly netted the equaliser through George Takyi but his strike hit the goalpost.
The rest of the half witnessed Allies fighting hard to equalise but they were kept at bay by Cities sturdy defence and their wastefulness upfront.
After the recess, Allies continued to press hard for the equaliser and came close twice through substitute Michael Gyamerah in the 80th and 84th minutes but he failed to connect on both occasions.
Gyamerah’s failure spelt doom for his side as Cities turned the style on late in the game to score twice, killing any comeback from Allies.
A quick move from Cities resulted in a low drive from Oppong Maxwell which Ofori Nyarko failed to grab, with the onrushing Nii Arday coolly tapping to put the game beyond Allies.
Oppong turned from provider to scorer when he put the icing on the cake by placing the ball beyond a helpless Ofori Nyarko.
Elsewhere, King Faisal recorded their first win of the season when they defeated Thunderbolts FC 6-0 in their MTN FA Cup competition yesterday.
Division One League side, Star Madrid edged Premier League strugglers, Dwarfs 6-5 on penalties to progress to the next stage of the competition.
Both sides drew one all in regulation time.
BY NANA BENTSI ODURO
