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In the opening game, Pele defeated Fruta Conquerors 3-1 in an all-Georgetown affair while the feature match saw Guyana Defence Force beat Rosignol United 5-2 in extra time, after the two teams were locked 3-3 at the end of regulation time.
In the Pele versus Fruta Conquerors’ match, Teoma Gravesande opened the scoring in the 24th minute while Leon Fredericks made it 2-0 in the 24th minute.
Okenie Fraser netted the victors’ third goal in the 76th minute while Fruta Conquerors’ lone goal came off the boot of Jermaine Junior in the fifth minute of (95th) of injury time.
In the feature game, Delroy Fraser sent the home team into the lead with a 35th minute goal but Beresford Williams equalised the score with a 60th minute goal for the soldiers.
Four minutes later, Fraser sent the homesters once again into the lead with a 64th minute goal and Justin Collins made it 3-1 for the Berbice team in the 65th minute.
Nine minutes later (74th), Euswi Phillips closed the margin with a goal and Warren Gilkes levelled the score with an 85th minute goal that sent the game into extra time.
GDF’s Phillips then found the back of Rosignol’s net in the 110th minute and Sherwyn Lawson scored the fifth goal two minutes later.
Pele will next play BK Western Tigers tomorrow at the GFC ground while GDF take on Alpha United at the same venue in two second-round matches.
Alpha United secured a second round place by defeating Grove Hi-Tech 4-0 last Wednesday while Western Tigers edged Seawall United 2-1 the same evening.
Meanwhile, organisers of the tournament, Slingerz Football Club, will make their first appearance this evening at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground when they face Linden’s Net Rockers in the feature game of a double-header card from 20:30hrs.
The opening game brings together two Linden teams (Milerock and Topp XX) at 18:30hrs.
The winner of the tournament which is being sponsored largely in part by Ansa McAl under the Stag Beer brand and is being played simultaneously with a women’s six-team tournament will receive $2M, while the second-, third- and fourth-place teams will draw down $1M, $500 000 and $300 000 respectively.
The six women’s teams include two from Berbice and one each from West Demerara, Linden, Georgetown and Bartica.
The two Berbice teams will play each other to secure their place in the semi-final where they will join the winner of the quarter-final match between Linden and West Demerara as well as Bartica and Georgetown who have both drawn byes to the semi-final.
The finals in both the women’s and men’s categories are scheduled for September 1 at the GCC ground with the Uitvlugt Community ground being the alternative venue, depending on the weather.
The women’s and men’s semi-final matches will be played on August 25 and 28 at the GFC ground.
