Young Apostles returned to winning ways with a 2–1 victory over Karela United at the Wenchi Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Goals from Abdul Ganiyu and Issah Nyabilla in each half proved decisive for Abdul Hanan’s boys.
Head coach Abu Abdul Hanan had Abdul Ganiyu and Richmond Opoku in starting XI after successful recoveries.
Up front, Kingsford was handed another opportunity to impress alongside Issah Hussine.
Karela, under the guidance of Nurudeen Amadu made early incursions in the 8th minute, causing panic in the Apostles’ box, with the ball evading everyone before a desperate clearance relieved the danger.
By the 15th minute, the Apostles were pressed harded, but Joseph Quansah stood tall for the visitors, heading clear a dangerous cross from the right.
The breakthrough arrived in the 20th minute. Abdul Ganiyu, bursting through after a perfectly weighted pass from Issah Hussine, unleashed a stunning strike into the top right corner.
Karela responded with increased aggression. Ali Alhassan was cautioned on the half-hour mark for a reckless challenge as the visitors sought control in midfield.
Their pressure paid off in the 36th minute when Felix Mortu found the equaliser, cancelling out Apostles’ lead and restoring parity before the break.
The referee’s whistle brought an evenly contested first half to a close at 1–1.
Karela made an immediate change after the restart, introducing Bless Ege for Fataw Mohammed—a substitution that would later influence the rhythm of the game. But it was Young Apostles who struck first in the second half.
In the 49th minute, chaos in the Karela penalty area worked in the hosts’ favour. Amid a scramble—one that saw Abdul Ganiyu protesting a foul in the build-up—Issah Nyabilla, affectionately known as The “Rock of Bolgatanga”, reacted fastest to prod home and restore Apostles’ lead.
Tempers flared as the contest intensified.
Joseph Quansah picked up a booking for unsporting behaviour, while both benches went to work with tactical changes.
Apostles withdrew Richmond Opoku and Kingsford Agyemang, introducing Richard Ampong and re-deploying Abdul Ganiyu as fresh legs were sought.
Karela reshuffled repeatedly: Hafiz Abdulai made way for Gideon Boateng, Jibril Nurudeen replaced Zakaria Abdulai, and Phillip Adom came on for Eric Antwi.
Bless Ege nearly found an equaliser with a swerving 39-yard free kick, but the Apostles goalkeeper was equal to it, tipping the effort away.
As the clock ticked down, Ege continued to trouble the home defence with dangerous deliveries, particularly in the 85th minute. Yet Apostles held their shape, defended with discipline, and managed the closing stages with maturity.
At full time, referee Maxwell Hanson brought proceedings to an end. The scoreline read Young Apostles 2, Karela United 1.
Goals from Abdul Ganiyu and Issah Nyabilla proved decisive. In Wenchi, these were not just three points earned—they were three points earned the hard way.
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