Football juggernaut Alpha `The Hammer’ United hammered Santos Football Club 3-1 to be crowned Namilco One Love Football Classic 2013 champions Sunday night at the Tucville Playfield.
Witnessed by the largest crowd to date in a partisan atmosphere, it was business as usual when proceedings got underway as the ‘Hammer’ went on the early ascendency seeking to assert their will on their youthful adversaries.
Directing the fixture’s progression through their hegemonic control of possession, Alpha’s forward charge was unceremoniously halted by the awarding of a penalty to the Santos unit in the 11th minute. The resulting spot kick was expertly converted by Jermain Bamfield sending the Santos faithful into collective joy.
Rattled by the unfortunate concession and feeling aggrieved by what they perceived to be an injustice, Alpha United almost fell further behind the eight ball but the beautiful worked move by the Santos frontline went agonizingly close with the resulting Ryan Fields’s strike crashing off the upright leaving the Alpha United custodian with no chance and evoking a communal sigh amongst the masses.
Sensing the momentum shift and trying to regroup after their brief mental capitulation, parity was almost restored compliments of a neat buildup by the Alpha engine room. The ensuing effort triggered a goal mouth scramble which was frantically cleared by the Santos backline.
Pressing forward in pursuit of equality, Alpha United was once again denied uniformity as a brilliantly orchestrated move by Gregory `Jackie Chan’ Richardson went just wide.
Under siege, Santos’s rearguard defiance was finally breached in the 41st minute through a Marvin Joseph finish after the previous shot was brilliantly saved by the Santos custodian.
Bubbling with confidence through their new-found success, the go-ahead goal was realized when the wily Andrew Murray Jr., added his name to the scorer’s sheet in the 43rd minute, silencing the partisan fans.
Continuing their first half domination over their antagonists, Alpha almost consolidated their already advantageous position as a cheeky buildup by the offensive trident of Anthony `Awo’ Abrams, Murray Jr., and Richardson, was magnificently saved by Santos shot stopper Oswald Cornette, whose heroics between the uprights was nothing short of exemplary.
Resigned to infrequent methods of offensive output and unable to create a plan to counter the effective passing scope of the Alpha triumvirate, Santos were ripped apart by a beautiful worked one-two passing scheme but the resulting Richardson strike came cannoning off the woodwork.
Fully in charge of the game due to the monopolization of possession and reducing their rivals to little more than pedestrians, the encounter was put to bed by a clinical strike from Murray in the 89th minute, effectively cementing Alpha’s supremacy.
In the third place off, hosts Fruta Conquerors edged the Guyana Defence Force FC 2-1 through goals from Eon Alleyne and Travis Thornhill in the 83rd and 89th minutes respectively whilst Marlon Benjamin was on target in a losing cause in the 85th minute.
