Every country has its biggest football derby. Although some soccer pundits claim a derby can only be played between teams in the same cities, a true derby comes when the two best teams historically from one country meet.
Barcelona versus Real Madrid, Liverpool against Manchester United, and Inter Milan versus Juventus are three of the biggest soccer derbies. With big soccer fixtures on the calendar this weekend, fans can visit the 1xbet review to get bet bonuses and offers to wager on derby games.
Ghana’s capital, Accra, is separated from Kumasi by 248 kilometres. It is this distance that separates the country’s two biggest teams, Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak. The two clubs are long-time rivals going back decades. Hearts of Oak were formed in 1911 while Asante Kotoko were founded 24 years later.
Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak not only claim to be Ghana’s two biggest teams, but they have the country’s biggest fanbases.
Ghana’s Soccer Giants
The duo are Ghana’s most successful domestic clubs, which, by default, attracts fans. Kumasi and Accra are Ghana’s two largest cities with millions living in both. The fandom is high and a loss in the derby makes for plenty of unease.
Asante Kotoko are the most successful of the two famous Ghanaian clubs. The Hedgehog Warriors have tallied 25 league championships, which is five more than Hearts of Oak. Asante Kotoko won the 2019 championship organised by the Ghanaian Football Association.
The last decade was not one of excitement for Hearts of Oak nor their fans. The Phobia last won a league championship in 2009. Hearts of Oak pipped Asante Kotoko to the title that year by just three points.
The international stage has also been dominated by Asante Kotoko. The Hedgehog Warriors are one of the most successful clubs in the African Champions League with two titles. Although they have had success, the Kumasi-based side’s CAF Champions League titles came in 1970 and 1983.
Hearts of Oak can lay claim to winning the most recent CAF Champions League of the two famous Ghanaian clubs. The Phobia won the prize in 2000 and were runners-up in 1977 and 1979. Meanwhile, Asante Kotoko were runners-up in 1967, 1971, 1973, 1982, and 1993.
A Renewed Rivalry
On the 26th of January 2019, Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak renewed their rivalry in their most recent fixture. The game was played at Hearts of Oak’s Accra Sports Stadium and saw the home side fall 2-1 to the Hedgehog Warriors.
Justice Blay opened the scoring for Asante Kotoko before Hearts of Oak’s Joseph Esso levelled the scores. However, Asante Kotoko’sNaby Laye Keita scored a late penalty to give the visitors all three points.
When Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak lock horns, it is always a match football fans in Ghana want to see. Even neutrals want to watch the most successful teams in Ghanaian football history play. Like the other great derbies in world soccer, the Accra-Kumasi rivalry is one not to miss.