BOTH Sparta Boss and Gold is Money, two of the heavyweights in the shorter format of football, survived bruising encounters to advance to the semi-finals of the inaugural Rio Indoor Tournament which continued on Saturday night, at the National Gymnasium.

Playing in front of what was undoubtedly the biggest turnout to date, Sparta Boss had to come from behind in their clash against a determined BV unit to make the last four.

It took a brace from talisman Deon Alfred to secure victory, while the experienced Eusi Phillips supported with a double in the win. On target for BV were Omari Glasgow and Jamar Harrigon.

In the game that followed, Gold is Money edged Leopold Street 3-2 to set up a mouth-watering clash against nemesis, Sparta Boss, for a final berth on Saturday. The lanky striker, Solomon Austin, fired in a brace while another impressive young player, Keifer Brandt, added the other.

Tyrese Ford and Omallo Williams were the players on target for Leopold Street. The most impressive performance of the night came from Rio All Stars that inflicted a 6-1 crushing on Future Stars to install themselves as legitimate contenders for the title.

Former national player, Job Caesar, was in irresistible form, hammering in a treble to lead the charge for his team. Jermin Junor, Kelsey Benjamin and Andrew Murray Jnr added solitary strikes to complete their tally. Daniel Ross was the lone marksman for Future Stars.

In the final quarter-final matchup, Bent Street, a team loaded with national players, silenced the highly touted Back Circle with a comfortable 3-1 triumph. Captain Daniel Wilson, Pernell Schultz and Clive Nobrega each netted one apiece, while Stephon McLean made the lone response for Back Circle.

The semi-final matchups will see Sparta Boss and Gold is Money square off in the feature semi-final, while Rio All Stars go head to head with Bent Street in what are blockbuster affairs.

Up for grabs is $1million for the winning team, while second, third and fourth place finishers will receive $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively along with trophies. The semi-finals and final will be played on the same night.