ANTHONY ‘Awo’ Abrams scored Slingerz FC’s winning goal to send the ‘West Side’ champions, along with Alpha United, into the semi-finals of the 25th Kashif and Shanghai Tournament when action continued on Friday night. 

Bakewell Slingerz, thanks to goals from Abrams and Dwayne Lawrence defeated Fruta Conquerors 2-1 in extra time while Alpha United hammered the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) 5-0 t0 advance to the semi-finals, set for Wednesday at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground.
It was a game of drama, from the sound of the referee’s fox 40 to kick off the game, to the last second in extra time – Slingerz and Conquerors certainly had given patrons their money’s worth.
Back and forth the two sides battled, much to the delight of the spectators but it was Lawrence who broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when he volleyed home a shot from just atop the 18-yard area.
A back-flip was the celebration as Lawrence taunted his former team and Slingerz FC lead 1-0.
Vurlon Mills could have doubled the score for the Vergenoegen-based team but his free-kick went sailing over the crossbar.
The first half ended with Slingerz in the lead 1-0 and it remained until the 82nd minute when the referee made a dubious call against Akel Clarke that resulted in Fruta Conquerors being rewarded an indirect free-kick.
Clarke, after a saved shot on goal, dropped the ball on the ground, indicating that the ball was in play, but the referee, without warning, sounded his whistle claiming the Slingerz custodian was wasting time.
Fruta Conquerors made sure that they capitalised on their chance on the edge of the six-yard area, as Travis Thornhill converted.
The referee continued his suspicious and oftentimes obvious blunders in the second half as all the calls were made against Slingerz FC.
Abrams then scored what turned out to be the winning goal of the game when he found the net from a Colin Nelson-taken free-kick that rebounded into his path.
King Solomon Austin was called for a handball in the penalty area even though the ball by no means hit the player on his forearm as the referee suggested but instead had hit his chest.
But as they sometimes say ‘ball don’t lie’; Eon Alleyne stepped up to the mark but Clarke was equal to the task.
The score remained 2-1 and Bakewell Slingerz held on to win and now await the winner of the Riddim Squad/Western Tigers game which was played last evening.
Meanwhile, in the opening game, Manasseh Primo scored in the 50th and 64th minutes to help Alpha United ease into the semi-finals.
Primo, who had scored both goals in their 2-0 win over Agricola Red Triangle, was assisted with a goal each from Ronson Williams, Travis ‘Zorro’ Grant and Jamaal Smith.
Alpha United will play the winner between Pele and Winners Connection on April 1.

By Rawle Toney