Asante Kotoko returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Young Apostles at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on matchday seven of the Ghana Premier League, inspired by two game-changing substitutions from interim coach Hamza Obeng.
The Porcupine Warriors were forced into an early change when Emmanuel Mamah picked up a knock, prompting the introduction of Cameroonian forward Solomon Nsor-Asaah in the 31st minute. A second bold call followed at half-time with Hubert Gyau thrown into the fray.
Those tweaks proved decisive. Kotoko broke the deadlock in the 70th minute when Patrick Asiedu drove down the flank and cut the ball back perfectly for Gyau to sweep home the opener.
The hosts doubled their advantage 11 minutes later. Substitute Emanuel Sanja, introduced in the 77th minute, made an instant impact with a clever assist for Nsor-Asaah, who fired home in the 81st minute to cap a fine cameo.
Young Apostles pulled one back deep into stoppage time through Iddrisu Huziaf in the 90+2 minute, but Kotoko held firm to claim all three points.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference about trusting his squad depth, interim boss Obeng had said: "It's a good substitution" – a statement that proved prophetic on the day.
The win underlines Kotoko's home strength and the depth at Obeng's disposal as they build momentum in the early stages of the campaign.
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