Players of Hearts of Oak, celebrate with the CAF Confederation Cup
Today, January 9, 2025, marks a milestone in Ghanaian football history, as exactly 20 years ago, Michael Donkor etched his name in Hearts of Oak folklore by scoring the decisive penalty kick that secured a thrilling 8-7 shootout victory over arch-rivals Asante Kotoko in the inaugural CAF Confederation Cup at the Baba Yara Stadium.
With the first leg ending in a 1-1 draw in Accra, Kotoko were favorites to win the trophy on their home soil. However, it turned out to be a painful loss for the Porcupines, who were on course for a historic win, only to be pegged back with just 10 minutes left on the clock.
Charles Taylor scored Kotoko’s goal in the 51st minute—his first goal against his former club, Hearts of Oak, since joining Kotoko. But Hearts of Oak equalized in the 80th minute through Adjah Tetteh, sending the game into penalties, where Hearts edged their rivals 8-7 to claim the maiden trophy.
The final matches, initially scheduled for November 2004, were postponed to January 2005 due to politically charged security concerns.
Hearts of Oak hosted the first leg at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, January 2, 2005, while the second leg was hosted at the Baba Yara Stadium a week later.
Watch video of the penalty shootout below:
On this day, 20 years ago, Michael Donkor scored a crucial spot kick to hand Hearts of Oak a penalty shootout win (8-7) over Asante Kotoko in the inaugural edition of the CAF Confederation Cup at the Baba Yara Stadium.#3Sports pic.twitter.com/uJqRfdFUBy
— #3Sports (@3SportsGh) January 9, 2025
FKA/EK
