Pele trounced Sunburst Camptown in the second semifinal of the 21st Kashif and Shanghai football tournament Wednesday night to reach the final and battle Alpha United for the top prize.
Pele was once more led by strikers Devon Millington and Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson who each scored once in the side’s 2-0 defeat of Sunburst Camptown at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence.
The two sides contested a dull opening half with most of the football being played in midfield.
Possession of the ball seemed not to be entirely valued as the ball was often traded because of the inability of the players’ to string together consistent passes in an effort to build attacks.
Sunburst Camptown had a tough night of football which got worse when Orlando Gilgeous, who usually marshals the defence, was given a red card after being dealt two yellow cards.
Neither team was able to score in the first half but when the second half resumed; Millington found the back of the net in the 51st minute to put Pele ahead. The match continued with the teams exchanging possession in midfield.
At one point it looked as if former national player Nigel ‘Powers’ Codrington wanted to do it all for the Camptown side after they fell behind.
He tried to drive past the sturdy Pele defence but lack of support from his team mates made it mission impossible.
Richardson put Pele up by two goals in the fourth minute of injuries and stoppages time when he got past the defence, drew the custodian forward, and easily thumped the ball into the back of the net.
Pele’s opponent in the final will be Alpha United who defeated Bakewell Topp XX in the other semifinal on penalty kicks.
Dwight Peters drew first blood for Alpha United in the 22nd minute and they led the encounter until the final minute when they gifted Topp XX with a penalty after a foul in the 18-yard box.
Like the Topp XX/GDF showdown, Travis Waterton was once again given the opportunity to score in the final minute of play.
With the score level at the end of regulation time, the game went into extra time and finally, the dreaded penalty shootout where Alpha United’s custodian was the hero of the night making three consecutive saves in Alpha’s 3 -1 victory.
Alpha United will face Pele tomorrow in what is expected to be an intriguing final while Topp XX will face Sunburst Camptown in the third place showdown at the Guyana National Stadium.
