It was important Hearts of Oak closed 2025 with a win – Kelvin Osei Asibey

Hearts of Oak defender Kelvin Osei Asibey says it was crucial for the Phobians to end 2025 on a positive note after securing a hard-fought 1-0 win over FC Samartex at the University of Ghana Stadium on Friday.

The narrow victory lifted Hearts to second place in the Ghana Premier League standings on 28 points, level with leaders Aduana FC, who still have a game in hand.

For Asibey, the result carried extra significance following a frustrating draw against Aduana in their previous outing.

“It was important to we the players, and also our supporters, because our game against Aduana, we were supposed to win that game, but we couldn’t win the game,” Asibey said after the match.

“So coming into this game, at least we have to do something to make our supporters happy.”

The contest was tense from the outset, with Samartex nearly taking a shock early lead inside two minutes.

The hosts responded almost immediately. Mawuli Wayo squandered a clear chance in the fourth minute, firing over from a promising position, but made amends moments later.

The winger pressed Roland Grippman into a mistake inside the box before laying the ball across for Hamza Issah, who finished calmly to score the decisive goal.

They will resume their league campaign on January 4, 2026, away to Medeama in Tarkwa, as they continue their push at the top end of the table.