Hearts of Oak clinch Democracy Cup with narrow win over Great Olympics

Hearts of Oak edged city rivals Great Olympics 1-0 to lift the 2025 Democracy Cup at the Legon Sports Stadium on Friday.

A second-half strike from Kwesi Asmah was enough to give the Phobians the win.

Hearts dominated proceedings from the onset, with Great Olympics showing flashes of quality through occasional counter threats.

Despite their dominance, the first half ended goalless, with the Phobians looking the more purposeful side.

After the break, Hearts stepped up their intensity putting pressure on Olympics. Their pressure finally yielded dividends in the 70th minute when substitute George Paaku reacted quickly to a goalmouth scramble, nodding the ball into the path of Kwesi Asmah.

Asmah, also introduced in the second half, rifled home the decisive strike to seal victory for Hearts.

The win handed the Phobians their first-ever Democracy Cup title, making amends for last year’s disappointment when they lost the maiden edition 2-1 to arch-rivals Asante Kotoko at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The Democracy Cup, an annual competition held to commemorate and celebrate Ghana’s parliamentary democracy, provided the Phobians an opportunity to make up for last season’s trophyless campaign after impressing in the just-ended GHALCA Top 4.

Hearts of Oak, winners of the Democracy Cup, will compete in an international three-club tournament in May 2026 in the United States.