Hearts have been dumped out of the FA Cup
Accra Hearts of Oak suffered a stunning early exit from the 2025–26 MTN FA Cup after being knocked out by Division Two side True Life at the Hearts of Oak Complex at Kpobiman on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
The defeat marks yet another painful chapter for the Phobians at this venue, where they were similarly shocked by a lower-tier opposition two seasons ago.
The match began with Hearts showing early urgency. In the 5th minute, a neat build-up saw Adams thread a pass toward Duku, only for the final ball to run slightly long.
Three minutes later, Hearts earned a freekick, but the delivery was comfortably handled by the visitors’ defence.
By the 11th minute, Karikari made an impressive run before being hacked down, though the resulting freekick also came to nothing.
Despite Hearts’ early pressure, it was True Life’s discipline, organisation, and confidence that gradually took control of the game.
The visitors, unbeaten in their Division Two campaign and sitting top of their league, played like a side far above their tier, absorbing pressure and breaking forward with sharp counters.
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Hearts head coach Didi Dramani had hinted before kickoff that this fixture would be used to give fringe players valuable minutes while managing workloads ahead of a crucial league match this weekend.
But that decision seemed to backfire as Hearts struggled to find rhythm, creativity, or cutting edge in the final third.
True Life, buoyed by their fearless form, grew stronger as the match wore on and capitalised on Hearts’ lack of urgency, eventually finding the decisive goal in the 78th minute, which sent shockwaves through Kpobiman.
Despite late attempts to respond, Hearts looked short of ideas, and the visitors held firm to complete a memorable upset.
For a club still haunted by past cup stumbles at this ground, Wednesday’s defeat will sting deeply, while for True Life, it marks one of the biggest wins in their history.
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Meanwhile, as the BBC moves the home of its Focus on Africa Podcast to Nairobi, GhanaWeb’s Etsey Atisu connected with the host for an exclusive interview on The Lowdown. Watch it here:
