• The 11-time Champions, Hearts of Oak lock horns with the 2015-16 Champions, Bechem United in the 2021-22 Grand-finals of the MTN FA Cup at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on SUNDAY afternoon.
Predictions: Away win/Draw
• The 2021-22 season of the Ghana FA Cup is the 41st edition since the Competition started in the 1958 season.
• The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knock-out Football Competition in Men’s domestic Ghana Football. It was First played during the 1958 season. It is organized by and named after The Football Association (GFA). Since 2011, it has been known as the MTN FA Cup after it’s headline sponsor.
• The Ghana FA Cup which is the oldest GFA competition after Independence in 6th March, 1957 (Gold Coast League in 1956), started with eight (8) original first Division Clubs (Accra Hearts of Oak, Accra Great Olympics, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Kumasi Cornerstone, Sekondi Eleven Wise, Sekondi Hasaacas, Cape Coast Mysterious Ebusua Dwarfs, and Cape Coast Venomous Vipers.
• The maiden FA Cup Competition was keenly contested. The first round which was all local derbies saw Hearts winning from Accra, Kotoko from Kumasi, Hasaacas from Sekondi, and Dwarfs from Cape Coast.
• In Accra, Hearts of Oak after drawing 1-1 with Great Olympics won the re-play 2-1. Asante Kotoko beat Cornerstone 4-2, Ebusua Dwarfs beat Vipers 2-0 and Sekondi Hasaacas defeated Eleven Wise 1-0.
• The Semi-finals produced a lot of goals. Accra Hearts of Oak in splendid fashion thrashed Ebusua Dwarfs 6-0 at the Accra Stadium and Asante Kotoko drew one all to Sekondi Hasaacas in Kumasi and the re-play was honored at the Sekondi Gyandu Park and Asante Kotoko spanked Hasaacas 6-2 in Sekondi. Thus the stage was set for a great battle between the nation’s two greatest crowd-pullers, Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak, to battle for the Cup on March 30, 1958.
• It was an exciting game from start to finish and Asante Kotoko won 4-2 to become Ghana’s FIRST FA Cup Winner.
Trailing 0-2 at one stage of the game, Kotoko scored four astonishing goals in a dramatic finish to carry the day. By the 30th minute, Hearts were two goals up through speedy right-winger Ofei Dodoo and inside-forward C.K. Gyamfi but nimble-footed left-winger Mohammed Salisu reduced the arrears for Kotoko just before the recess.
King of wingers, Baba Yara got the equalizer for Kotoko from a spot-kick a few minutes after the resumption. The play was then even until the last five minutes when the drama began. Inside forward Kwakye put Kotoko ahead in the 85th minute and playmaker Asebi Boakye made it 4-2 on the stroke of full time.
• The FA Cup competition is open to any eligible club of the Ghana Football League System (Ghana Premier League, Division One League & Division Two League).
• Winners receive the FA Cup Trophy and also quality for the CAF Confederations Cup Competition and a place in the FA Super Cup.
• Hearts of Oak is the current holder, having won 8-7 in penalties over Ashanti Gold a.e.t. in the 2020-21 Grand-finals.
• Hearts of Oak SC are the most successful club with eleven (11) titles.
• Note: Sixteen (16) different clubs have been Champions in the Forty (40) editions of the Ghana FA Cup Competition with Twenty-seven (27) different clubs in the Grand-finals.
• LET’S LOOK AT FA CUP WINNERS.
• Accra Hearts of Oak – 11
• Kumasi Asante Kotoko – 9
• Accra Real Repulikans – 4
• Accra Great Olympics – 3
• Kumasi Cornerstone – 2
• Tarkwa Medeama SC – 2
• Cape Coast Ebusua Dwarfs – 1
• Sekondi Eleven Wise – 1
• Sekondi Hasaacas – 1
• Nkawkaw Okwawu United – 1
• Ho Voradep – 1
• Obuasi Ashanti Gold (Goldfields) – 1
• Tema Ghapoha Readers – 1
• Accra Nania FC – 1
• New Edubiase United – 1
• Bechem United – 1
• HEAD-TO-HEAD IN ALL COMPETITIONS SINCE 2011-12 SEASON.
Total matches played – 16
Hearts of Oak wins – 8
Goals scored – 24
Bechem United wins – 3
Goals scored – 12
Drawn games – 5
• THEIR LAST TWO MEETINGS.
• 02/01/22 Hearts of Oak 0-0 Bechem United (Day 11)
• 07/05/22 Bechem United 1-1 Hearts of Oak (Day 28)
• LET’S LOOK AT THE TWO CLUBS MEETINGS IN THE MONTH OF JUNE SINCE 2011-12 SEASON.
• Sunday, 26th June, 2022 will be their official meeting in the month of JUNE.
• LET’S LOOK AT THE TWO CLUBS GAMES ON THE MATCH DATE (JUNE 26TH).
• HEARTS OF OAK
• 26/06/05 Real Sportive 1-1 Hearts of Oak
• 26/06/16 Hearts of Oak 1-0 Dreams FC
W1 D1 GF2 GA1
• BECHEM UNITED
• 26/06/16 Bechem United 2-1 Aduana FC
W1 GF2 GA1
• NB: Two clubs only meeting on 26TH DAY.
26th Feb. 2012 Hearts of Oak 0-0 Bechem United.
• NOTE: Since 1999 season, Hearts of Oak have not lost any game on the 26TH DAY in any month (Jan. – Dec.) to any team based in the BRONG AHAFO REGION.
• 26/07/00 Tano Bofoakwa 0-0 Hearts of Oak
• 26/10/05 Hearts of Oak 1-0 Tano Bofoakwa
• 26/02/12 Hearts of Oak 0-0 Bechem United
• 26/12/12 Berekum Arsenal 2-2 Hearts of Oak
W1 D3 GF3 GA2
• NOTE: Since 2011-12 season, Bechem United have not lost any game on the 26TH DAY in any month (Jan. – Dec.) to any team based in the GREATER ACCRA REGION.
• 26/02/12 Hearts of Oak 0-0 Bechem United
• 26/02/14 Bechem United 1-0 Liberty Professionals
W1 D1 GF1 GA0
• HEARTS OF OAK AT FA CUP FINAL.
• NB: Only Asante Kotoko (1958, 1960 & 2017) and Great Olympics (1995) have beaten Hearts of Oak in the FA Cup Grand-finals.
• NB: The only time Bechem United reached the Grand-finals of the FA Cup (2015-16), they won 2-1 over Okwawu United.
• Hearts of Oak is the club with the most appearances in the Grand-finals of the FA Cup [16 times] (1958, 1960, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1999, 2000, 2017, 2020-21 & 2021-22).
• Bechem United are in their second Grand-finals of the FA Cup (2015-16 & 2021-22)
• BA United are the first BRONG AHAFO based club to reached the Grand-finals of FA Cup in 1975, when BA United lost 1-0 to Great Olympics.
• Tano Bofoakwa are the second club based in the BRONG AHAFO REGION to reached the Grand-finals of the FA Cup, in 1983 when they lost 1-0 to Great Olympics.
• Bechem United of the BRONG AHAFO REGION then reached the Grand-finals of the FA Cup in the 2015-16 season, when they won 2-1 over Okwawu United.
• TWO CLUBS GAMES IN THE ASHANTI REGION THIS SEASON.
• Hearts of Oak failed to SCORE/DRAW/WIN this season in the ASHANTI REGION.
• 21/11/21 Ashanti Gold 2-0 Hearts of Oak (Day 4)
• 10/04/22 Asante Kotoko 1-0 Hearts of Oak (Day 24)
• 05/06/22 King Faisal 1-0 Hearts of Oak (Day 32)
L3 GF0 GA4
• Bechem United games this season in the ASHANTI REGION.
• 07/11/21 Asante Kotoko 2-0 Bechem United (Day 2)
• 01/05/22 King Faisal 2-2 Bechem United (Day 27)
• 12/06/22 Ashanti Gold 2-1 Bechem United (Day 33)
D1 L2 GF3 GA6
• TWO CLUBS GAMES AT THE BABA YARA SPORTS STADIUM THIS SEASON.
• Hearts of Oak failed to SCORE/DRAW/WIN this season at the BABA YARA SPORTS STADIUM.
• 10/04/22 Asante Kotoko 1-0 Hearts of Oak (Day 24)
• 05/06/22 King Faisal 1-0 Hearts of Oak (Day 32)
L2 GF0 GA2
• Bechem United games this season at the BABA YARA SPORTS STADIUM.
• 07/11/21 Asante Kotoko 2-0 Bechem United (Day 2)
• 01/05/22 King Faisal 2-2 Bechem United (Day 27)
D1 L1 GF2 GA4
• BACK-TO-BACK
• 1961-62 Republican 0-0 Kotoko
• Replay : Republican 1-1 Kotoko
REPLAY: Republican 2-1 Kotoko
• 1962-63 Republican 1-1 Cornerstone
REPLAY: Republican 2-0 Cornerstone
• 1963-64 Republican 3-0 Great Ashanti
• 1964-65 Real Republican shared honours with Cornerstone. The two teams drew 1-1 on two occasions and after the second match the GFA headed by the late H.P. Nyametei took the easy option of declaring them JOINT CHAMPIONS. Accra Sports Stadium had no floodlights at that time.
• 1973 Hearts of Oak 2-2 Akotex
NB: penalty shoot-outs 4-4
REPLAY: Hearts of Oak 2-0 Akotex
• 1974 Hearts of Oak 2-1 All Blacks
• 1999 Hearts of Oak 3-1 Great Olympics
• 2000 Hearts of Oak 2-0 Okwawu United
• 2020-21 Hearts of Oak won 8-7(pen) over Ashanti Gold (a.e.t.).
2021-22 Hearts of Oak vs Bechem United
By: Isaac Amponsah (Dr Ike) and Bright Yeboah Taylor (byt)
