On June 19, Hearts of Oak will reassemble before facing Kotoko in the President's Cup.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the club's life patron, received the 2024–25 FA Cup trophy from Asante Kotoko.

The Pocupine Warriors defeated Golden Kick FC, a lower-tier team, 2-1 at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium on Sunday, earning them the title of champions.

Early in the game, Kwame Opoku gave the Reds the lead, but Golden Kick equalized with a spectacular free kick from Bless Ege to conclude the first half 1-1.

However, Kotoko's late penalty kick sent the game into disarray. Then, Opoku took over and converted the penalty kick to give Karim Zito's team their 10th FA Cup victory.

The squad gave Otumfuo the trophy today, Wednesday, June 18, after arriving in Kumasi on Monday, June 16.

Kwesi Appiah, the club's technical director, Malik Jabir, and Nana Apinkrah Akwasi Awuah, the chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC), led the Kotoko delegation.

Otumfuo urged the team to do well in Africa the following season and commended them for the hard-fought victory.

After winning the FA Cup, Asante Kotoko will play in the 2025–2026 CAF Confederation Cup.

Here's another tale worth tracking as the sports world continues to be awash with action.

Updates on the Club World Cup: Real Madrid loses to Al Hilal.

Anyone who frequently watched the club last season should not be surprised that Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and company did not play well in their 1-1 tie with Al Hilal on Wednesday.

And there was even more déjà vu as Bono saved Federico Valverde's late penalty in extra time. Last season, Madrid was unable to convert six penalties between Bellingham (one), Vinícius (two), and Kylian Mbappé (three). That list of failed takers can now include Valverde.

At Madrid's upcoming training session in Palm Beach Gardens, Xabi Alonso may prioritize practicing penalty-taking. There is still a lot of work to be done, though, as demonstrated by Wednesday's performance at Hard Rock Stadium in oppressively hot and muggy conditions.

Several factors have contributed to Madrid's sluggish start in this competition, including the fact that some players have only been here for a few days, Mbappé, the team's top scorer from the previous season, was absent due to illness, and, of course, the heat. Nevertheless, Madrid failed to live up to the lofty expectations for the Alonso era in its opening performance.

Rather, it was Al Hilal, who frequently appeared to be the more threatening side under Simone Inzaghi, another new coach. Last season, Madrid's defense, which included two new additions, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen, appeared shabby. And once more, Alonso's choice to substitute Arda Güler at halftime demonstrated the dire need for an organizational, ball-playing midfielder.

There were two nearly prototypical instances of Alexander-Arnold's talents and shortcomings in the first half. He lost possession of the ball after 19 minutes, and Renan Lodi slipped in behind him and finished past Thibaut Courtois, but the offside flag rescued him.

Trent's greatest came fifteen minutes later. Gonzalo García started a fluid move after his courageous, line-breaking pass inside, and García finished it to make it 1-0.

Alexander-Arnold threw his arms up in joy, having fulfilled his role for the first time while wearing a Madrid shirt.

Alexander-Arnold might have signed for free in July, but because Madrid paid Liverpool to guarantee his availability, he has already been under exceptional scrutiny. Trent has not made an obscure, preseason friendly debut; rather, he has entered the starting lineup in a major competition that Madrid is vying for.

But Huijsen, another recent immigrant, appeared more confident in this situation. "It is a process," Alonso subsequently stated. I was aware that it would require time.

Courtois, the goalie, was usually more direct. According to him, "We have been with Carlo Ancelotti for four years. "We must now adapt to the boss's wishes. It takes more than four days.

When they play Liga MX team Pachuca on Sunday afternoon in Charlotte, North Carolina, Alonso will be expecting a more cohesive, prompt response.

When the first whistle blew to begin Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal's game inside Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday afternoon in Miami Gardens, the thermometers read 92 degrees Fahrenheit.

Previously, the Miami location had the tournament's opening at 8:00 PM and the Boca Juniors vs. Benfica match earlier in the week at 6:00 PM, when the intensity of the sun did not affect play on the field.

"I am not trying to justify it, but it was really hot," Gonzalo-Garcia, a Real Madrid player, stated.

"A scenario that we are not accustomed to playing in, but hey, the heat was the same for us and the opponent, so it is not an excuse, and it is a game that would have been better at a different time."

Xabi Alonso, the new manager of Real Madrid, echoed the opinions of his players by suggesting that the choice to play at 3:00 PM was not a sporting one. The decision to play football at this time is not a sporting one, but neither are the conditions or the time.

At halftime, supporters hid in the shade, bought many water bottles, and utilized the Michelob Ultra-sponsored fans to block out the sun. One gamegoer halted multiple times as he fought his way up the slope to his seat, attributing his fatigue to the heat.

At this point, Hard Rock Stadium will host three more games, exposing teams and spectators to Miami Gardens' conditions.

When Pep Guardiola came to the Club World Cup, he told his Manchester City players to forget about the previous campaign. Phil Foden, in particular, was likely the target of this message.

May 2024 saw the England midfielder awarded the Premier League's greatest player. After a year, he was seldom able to play for City. In the opening two minutes of City's Group G opener against Wydad AC, Foden scored the team's first goal.

The 25-year-old has not found the net for club or country since January, which speaks volumes about how difficult the last few months have been for him.

Foden told reporters just last month that he was burned out, which is why he chose not to play for England in the June World Cup qualifiers. Guardiola's sole hope is that the extra rest has helped him and that a goal against Wydad, which was guided into the net after Savinho's cross was deflected back into the penalty area, could spark a comeback.

City may once more emerge as the Premier League's top team if Foden can replicate his 2023–24 performance, in which he scored 27 goals across all competitions.

Arriving from Lyon during the pre-tournament transfer window this summer, Rayan Cherki has already had to respond to inquiries about whether he will take Kevin De Bruyne's place. However, Guardiola is believed to view Foden as a more likely successor.

Guardiola had to play without De Bruyne for over half of the 2023–24 season due to injuries, and Foden filled in as City won their fourth consecutive championship. Wydad AC appeared to be on the receiving end of the type of score we witnessed over the weekend between Auckland City and Bayern Munich when Foden scored after just 113 seconds.

In addition to Guardiola's ultra-attacking squad, Wydad's South African forward Thembinkosi Lorch's speed had a role. The starting lineup of Savinho, Jérémy Doku, Omar Marmoush, Cherki, and Foden. Even though Tijjani Reijnders came from Milan, promising to be a goal-scoring No. 8, he ended up making his City debut as the deepest-lying midfielder.

Before Doku made it 2-0 shortly before halftime, a youthful back four consisting of Vitor Reis (19), Rico Lewis (20), and Nico O'Reilly (20) experienced some tense moments.

Although the scoreline did not stop the Moroccan supporters, the goal sapped Wydad's vitality, and City won the second half easily. Under the direction of a drummer who did not stop all afternoon, the block of red behind the goal bounced and yelled.

The game had to be stopped once during the second half due to smoke bombs going off. It made the match feel like the World Cup, and City won to start the season.

Lewis's late red card, even though he seemed to win the ball first before colliding with Samuel Obeng, was Guardiola's only setback.