Hearts of Oak coach sees positives, backs John Antwi despite Democracy Cup defeat to Kotoko

Hearts of Oak coach sees positives, backs John Antwi despite Democracy Cup defeat to Kotoko

Nebojsa Kapor

Hearts of Oak head coach Nebojsa Kapor says he is satisfied with his side's performance despite their penalty shootout defeat to Asante Kotoko in the Democracy Cup final.

The Phobians were beaten 4-1 on penalties after a goalless draw at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Friday, with Kelvin Osei Asibey and Amankwah Baafi missing from the spot.

Despite the result, the Hearts coach believes there were encouraging signs, particularly in attack.

Speaking after the game, he said: "I am satisfied with what we showed today. There were so many positives, especially in attack, where we often attacked from the sides, from the flanks, and how we supported our players.

"Just one thing, we did not have the perfect selection of crosses. That could be better. But this is football and we will work on it and improve."

The coach also backed new striker John Antwi to make a big impact this season.

Antwi, who rejoined the Ghanaian top flight with a wealth of experience from his time in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, was largely isolated in the final but showed glimpses of his quality.

"He is an experienced player. We will get a lot of goals from him," the coach said.

"The players will find solutions to feed him with good balls and support John Antwi, and he will deliver what the coach and team expect from him. He is new to our tactical system."

Hearts will now turn their attention to the start of the Ghana Premier League season, where they will look to improve on last season's campaign.


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