“I am proud of the players,” says Abubakar Ouattara following their victory over the Accra Lions.

Aboubakar Ouattara, the head coach of Hearts of Oak, has praised his players effort in their spirited victory over the Accra Lions in Sogakope over the weekend.

In a thrilling match on day 15 of the GPL at the Red Bull Arena, the Rainbow Club almost gave up a goal lead but worked hard to win 2-3 in the end against the Blue-Blacks.

Hussein Mohammed began the scoring with a header from close range, while substitute Mawuli Wayo added two goals in the second half. Ezekiel Alladoh and Lucky Nwafor, both from Nigeria, both scored two goals for the Lions.

In a post-game interview, the seasoned Ivorian manager expressed his satisfaction with his team’s performance and said he was proud of them for the crucial victory for the team.

“I told the players that even though we are behind 2-1, we can still win, and I am pleased with them.” Mawuli Wayo and Martin Karikari both altered the outcome of the match, but the most crucial element was that we won three points.

“We lost focus when we left the dressing room, but we still managed to get the three points, and I will make up the difference on the training field.”

Hearts of Oak are now in sixth place with 25 points after winning their past two league games since the Super-Clash loss.