Bissa man Abdul Aziz Nurudeen made his 2021/22 league debut for Accra Hearts of Oak on Sunday as the Rainbow boys lost by 1-0 to city rivals Accra Great Olympics in the Mantse Derby played at the Accra Sports Stadium.
It comes after ten months absence on the field of play following an injury he sustained last season.
He was one of the few players the Phobakns were waiting for and he justified that on the day, despite the unwanted result of the match.
The Phobians lost to Olympics courtesy a 30th minutes goal from Yussif Razak, making it their 4th defeat of the season.
Read also: Abdul Aziz Nurudeen confident of breaking into Hearts first team
Nurudeen Bandaogo however made a lively cameo for Hearts as they pushed men forward to rescue a point from the game.
The former Black Mateus midfielder was introduced in the 58th minutes to replace Abu Ushau and his entrance onto the field was greeted with huge applause from the hopeful Phobian fans who had missed the services of the mercurial left footer.
He was an integral member of the Phobian squad last season but had his services cut short following a serious injury in the first round.
He brought stability to the Hearts of Oak midfield as the team kept knocking for the equaliser, which never came.
He showed some glimpses of brilliance on his return to the field but his debut was marred by the defeat to Hearts as Great Olympics ran away with the 3 maximum points.
The feat to Olympics was Coach Samuel Boadu’s first lost at the Accra Sports Stadium since he took charge of the team last season.
The Phobians sit 7th on the table- 10 points behind sworn rivals Kotoko with both teams set to meet later this month for their outstanding Match day 7 encounter.