PARADISE and Friendship secured semi-final berths in the 592 Beer Inter-Village Football Festival on Christmas Day, defeating Buxton and Mahaica respectively via penalty kicks at the Buxton Community Centre ground.

Paradise will now match skills with Friendship in the semi-final round on December 29 at the same venue. The second semi-final will pit Golden Grove against Beterverwagting (BV).
Paradise defeated Buxton 4-3 on penalty kicks, after normal time ended 2-2. Buxton commenced the shoot-out and stumbled, failing from the mark as the goalkeeper completed a save.

Paradise seized the opportunity to take the lead as they scored. Both teams then scored in the second round, as Paradise maintained their one-goal lead at 2-1. The third round mirrored the second, with both teams netting from the distance to take the score to 3-2.
The fourth section continued the trend of the previous two rounds, as both teams scored to push the score to 4-3. However, Buxton sealed their own exit, as they blasted over the crossbar in the fifth round.

Prior to their exit, Buxton opened the scoring in the sixth minute as Derrick Weekes lashed his effort into the lower right side. The lead quickly ballooned to 2-0, with Esan Hamer rifling his attempt into the right corner from the left side.

This lead was maintained heading into the halftime interval. However, Paradise pulled one back in the 70th minute through Teshawn Gordon, who blasted into the roof of the net. The score was then levelled in the 88th minute when Quincy Adams slotted home inside the left of the box.

Meanwhile, Friendship bested Mahaica 5-4 on sudden-death penalty kicks, after regulation time ended 3-3.
For Friendship, Dillon Wright copped a double in the 10th and 27th minutes while Clive Andries added a goal in the 62nd minute.

For Mahaica, Travis Adams fashioned a brace in the 15th and 41st minutes, while Shamar McPherson made an 80th minute strike.

The eventual champions of the event will pocket $500 000 and the championship trophy. On the other hand, the second-, third- and fourth-place finishers will receive $200 000, $150 000 and $100 000 respectively and the corresponding trophy.

Similarly, individual prizes will also be awarded for Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament, MVP of the final, Best Goalkeeper of the tournament and the Best Goalkeeper of the final. Some of the major sponsors of the tournament include Bakewell Guyana Incorporated, ExxonMobil, the NSC, Flavours Boss and the Colin Talbot Construction Services.