Hearts of Oak have made an emphatic statement at the start of the 2026/27 Ghana Premier League season, thrashing Berekum Chelsea 4-0 at the University of Ghana Stadium.
The Phobians wasted little time in setting the tone, with veteran striker John Antwi scoring twice in the first half on his league debut for the club.
Mohammed Ali and Mamadou Kourouma added further goals after the break to complete a dominant performance and hand new head coach Nebojsa Kapor his first competitive victory.
The result also offered Hearts a strong response following their defeat to Asante Kotoko in last week’s Democracy Cup, while giving the club maximum points from their opening fixture.
Kotoko, meanwhile, were forced to settle for a point after newly promoted Debibi United staged a spirited comeback to secure a 2-2 draw at the Golden City Park in Berekum.
Yakubu Dogo put the Porcupine Warriors ahead in the first half, but Richard Owusu turned the game around with two goals to give the debutants a 2-1 lead with 15 minutes remaining.
Kotoko avoided defeat when Hubert Gyau equalised in the 81st minute, earning the visitors a share of the points.
Bechem United also began their campaign with a win, edging defending champions Bibiani Gold Stars 1-0 at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park. Darlvin Yeboah’s first-half goal proved decisive.
Basake Holy Stars recorded another narrow home victory, defeating Swedru All Blacks 1-0 through Francis Oteng Gyetuah’s second-half strike.
The opening weekend also produced a draw between two newcomers, with Port City FC and FC AshantiGold ’04 playing out a 1-1 stalemate.
Zak Musah gave AshantiGold the lead before Hamza Zakari restored parity in the second half.
Vision FC completed one of the weekend’s most convincing victories, defeating Young Apostles FC 3-0 on Saturday. Setsofia Aketey scored twice, while Naziru Alhassan added the third.
Elsewhere, FC Samartex 1996 began with a 3-1 victory over Karela United, while Heart of Lions and Aduana FC played out a goalless draw.
Week One Results
- Basake Holy Stars 1-0 Swedru All Blacks
- Hearts of Oak 4-0 Berekum Chelsea
- Bechem United 1-0 Bibiani Gold Stars
- Debibi United FC 2-2 Asante Kotoko
- FC Samartex 1996 3-1 Karela United
- Heart of Lions 0-0 Aduana FC
- Vision FC 3-0 Young Apostles FC
- Port City FC 1-1 FC AshantiGold ’04
