Conquerors, Santos book semi-final places
FORMER champions Fruta Conquerors and Santos booked their places in the semi-final round of the annual Mayor’s Cup Football Tournament with victories over BK International Western Tigers and Seawall FC on Sunday last at the GFC ground.
Fruta Conquerors, who have won the championship title on two occasions, edged the West Ruimveldt-based Western Tigers by a 4-3 margin in a penalty shoot-out after the two teams were locked 2-2 at the end of regulation and extra time, while Santos defeated Seawall FC 3-0.
In the feature match, Fruta Conquerors who recently received a G$1M donation from their sponsors of 10 years (Guyana Beverages Company) came from two goals down to draw even with the Tigers, forcing the game to go into extra time, but no other goals resulted which meant that the winner had to be decided by a penalty shoot-out and the Tucville-based team came out on top.
Earlier in the match that was played in slippery conditions due to intermittent rain, Tigers were awarded a corner in the 17th minute and Shermon David, lurking in the 18-yard box unmarked, sent the West Ruimveldt team into the lead with a well-placed header.
Two minutes before the interval, some slack defending by the eventual winners allowed the Tigers to extend the lead as Ned Fraser pounced on a loose ball and booted it bang on target.
Minutes earlier, Fruta Conquerors’ Delon Williams’ shot from 20 metres out was well taken by Tigers custodian, denying them an opportunity to equalise at 1.
From the start of the second period, Tigers went on the defensive, allowing the opposition more attacking options. However, poor finishing after useful build-ups failed to trouble the score for Conquerors, in addition to their numerical advantage, following the expulsion of Tigers’ Ryan Thomas in the 73rd minute.
With full time drawing near Conquerors launched an all-out attack on their opponents and were rewarded in injury time when Eon Alleyne found the back of Tigers’ net in the 91st and 94th minutes.
With no goals resulting in extra time, the winner had to be decided by a penalty shoot-out and the two-time champions came out on top by a 4-3 margin.
In the opening game of the double-header card, William Europe put Santos into the lead with a 25th minute goal and goal number two was recorded in the 12th minute of the second session by Glenorven Edmonds who scored a second goal five minutes before regulation time (85th).
Earlier in the match, Seawall FC were reduced to nine men after Tonie Lopes and Adami Hoyte were both given marching orders by the officiating referee in the 77th and 80th minutes respectively.
The two semi-finals will be played tomorrow at the same venue.