Ejisu displayed amazingly to the admiration of football fans at the Otumfuo Park at Dechemso last Sunday to win the massively attended 2023 edition of the MTN Ashantifest Soccer Festival.
They edged out Santasi 4-3 on penalties in the grand final after a pulsating 1-1 draw to take home a giant trophy, a cash prize of GHC20,000 and other souvenirs from MTN.
Ejisu, who were tipped by fans to carry the day, went a goal down after Enock Morrison gave Santasi the lead in the 55th minute from a freekick which beat goalkeeper Fatau Seidu after defenders misjudged the kick.
The eventual winners bounced back after a very slow first half to equalise in the 70th minute courtesy of a splendid strike from Raruf Abubakar to set up an intriguing final minute.
The two finalists played well to avoid mistakes, with defenders being careful and calculated, while the forwards strived to hit the back of the net.
After 90 minutes, the winner has to be decided via the shoot-out, where the crowd gingered the Ejisu lads with high morale and motivation to clinch the victory.
Female referee Juliet Asante who was in the centre of the final was also a delight to watch with her decisions and management of the game.
In the third-place match, Dichemso lost to Kwadaso 3-1. Samuel Sarpong scored twice, George Agyemang added another for Kwadaso, and Ransford Bonsu got a consolation goal.
The final was graced by dignitaries including chiefs, MTN officials, present and former footballers and coaches including Samuel Boadu, Paa Kwesi Fabin, Akwesi Appiah, Kweku Frimpong, Abdul Razak ‘Golden Boy’ and Ibrahim Danlad of Asante Kotoka and Black Meteors fame.
Senior Manager Brands and Communications at MTN, Mr Germain Naatey, congratulated the winners for their efforts and commended the other teams for making this year’s tournament very competitive and exciting.
“It had been an interesting journey which saw a display of great talents and also brought communities together in a very competitive but friendly atmosphere,” he said.
He added that MTN Ghana is committed to the development and promotion of sports, especially football in the country and would continue to provide the platform for young people to excel.
He promised a bigger event next year as the tournament had seen massive improvement each year.