Underdog Rising: Story of True Democracy, 2024/25 FA Cup giant killers
Football is a game of surprises, where dreams often defy the odds, and history is rewritten on the pitch. In the round of 32 fixtures of the MTN FA Cup, True Democracy FC, lower-division side, achieved what many thought was impossible – eliminating the formidable Dreams FC.
Their stunning 1-0 victory became the biggest upset of the round and it follows their success against Talon Fc and Koforidua Semper Fi in the preliminary and round of 64 matches respectively.
At the heart of this historic win was Adjei Martin, whose decisive strike in the 85th minute was enough to seal the upset. Speaking about the goal during training, the player recalled,
“when my teammate intercepted the ball, he passed it to me, putting me in a one-on-one situation with the last defender. I managed to keep the ball under control and dribbled the defender before striking it with my right foot…I had trained for similar situations and so knew exactly what to do at that point. I was very excited to have helped my team with the goal” he noted.
The victory wasn’t just about the goal, though. It was a result of careful preparation and a collective team effort.
The team’s ability to maintain composure and execute their game plan against such experienced opposition was remarkable.
Behind the scenes, the mastermind of this success was the team’s coach, Lukman Imoro,
who spoke candidly about the preparation that led to their victory.
“It is not easy especially when playing in the lower division and facing such a big club…I only told my players that for us we are dreaming, our opponents have been there before and we won’t allow them to take our dream from us by knocking us out” he noted
“The players really coped well, they were not under pressure, even enjoyed the game. We dominated them and ensured that we stayed tactically discipline. Eventually we got the result we wanted. This win shows that with hard work and belief, anything is possible.” he added.
For the club, this victory is more than just a football result—it’s a pivotal moment in their season and in the competition as they looked ahead to the next round. Despite the positive results so far, they remain cautiously optimistic about their chances of winning the title. Team Captain, Kenneth Owusu reiterated it
“We are taking it match after match. We are now in th round of 16 and we keep working hard to see what can come out of our efforts in the tournament “ he stated .
Chairman of the Management Committee, Augustus Owusu Kwakye also emphasized that
“For the very short term, the next year or two, we intend to remain in this division and concentrate our objective of producing players for sale. Hopefully in the subsequent seasons, we will pursue our dream of playing in the topflight” he said.
The story of True Democracy is a powerful reminder of why football is called “the beautiful game.” It’s not just about skill and experience; it’s about heart, passion, and the belief that anything is possible.
Football fans across Ghana will now be watching to see how far this dream can go. For the club, the journey has just begun, and their story is a testament to the magic of the game.