Alpha United overcame Pele FC 2-1 in their round of 16 fixture when the Georgetown Football Association (GFA)/Banks Beer Cup continued at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, Bourda on Sunday.
Under drenched conditions where passing was simply an exercise in futility, Gregory `Jacke Chan’ Richardson grabbed the early lead for Alpha in the 11th minute with a cheeky finish from the left side of the penalty area with the outside of his right foot, after evading two markers.
Grenadian International and Caledonia AIA forward Kithson Bain should have made it 2-0 in the 41st minute for Alpha.
Racing up the left side of the field to collect a cleared ball, Bain would find himself in a one-on-one situation with the Pele custodian Devon Charles, only for his touch to fail him, allowing Charles to steal the ball off his leg.
Another opportunity to double their lead would present itself in the 69th minute as Alpha was awarded a penalty kick, following Joshua Kamal being shown a straight red card for denying a goal bound Bain effort with his arm inside the six yard box.
Tasked with taking the spot kick, Dwight Peters would have his right footed shot into the right hand corner denied acrobatically by the diving Charles, who tipped the ball around his left upright.
The numerical handicap seemed to galvanise the Pele side as they began to dictate the lion’s share of possession. The resulting possession saw Pele almost taking the lead in the 81st minute through a Konata Manning 24 yard right sided freekick.
Stepping up to take the spot kick, Manning would have his powerful effort magnificently denied by the full stretch dive of Richie Richards to his right.
However, Pele would be denied, equalizing after waves of constant attacking pressure six minutes later as another 23-yard, right sided Manning free kick, took a sharp deflection off the goalkeeper’s wall, wrong footing Richard in the process as it nestled into the left hand corner.
With a winner unable to be found in the remaining normal time interval, two 15 minute halves of extra time commenced.
Alpha would find the go ahead winner in the 102nd minute through a Peters ‘Olympic goal’. Awarded a left sided corner kick, Peters would curl the resulting spot kick in to the right hand corner of the net, evading all bodies inclusive of the ‘keeper in the process.
Peters almost doubled his tally in the 116th minute of second extra time interval as he thumped his right footed strike from inside the right side of the penalty box just over the crossbar, after skillfully controlling a lobbed pass from Bain in the midfield.
The second round of 16 matchup of the evening witnessed Slingerz FC defeating Monedderlust FC by a 3-0 score line to book their quarterfinal’s berth.
