Linden champions Eagles and Georgetown side Albouystown-B emerged as the only unbeaten teams on the opening night of the Guinness Greatest of the Streets national tourney at the Demerara Park Tarmac, Ruimveldt on Friday.
In the battle of the ghetto teams, Albouystown-B overcame arch-rivals and Georgetown champions Queen Street Tiger Bay 4-3 on sudden death kicks, after normal time finished 1-1 in their round two matchup.
Marlon Nedd opened the scoring for the winners with a right footed strike down the middle of the goal from the right side of the field, after evading the onrushing final defender Keoma Gravesande.
Alpha Fletchman would level the scores in the 15th minute, stabbing home his right footed effort to the right side of the goal from just outside the left side of the area.
Requiring penalty kicks to decide the outcome, the first round of spot-kicks would finish 3-3 as both sides displayed clinical proficiency from the distance.
With the fixture once again undecided, Albouystown would net their opening sudden death kick, transferring the pressure back onto their rivals.
Needing to net his spot-kick to push the fixture into a next round of spot-kicks, normal time hero Fletchman would lash his right footed penalty strike onto the crossbar to seal the Albouystown-B win.
Continuing in the same round, Eagles edged East Coast champions Melanie-A by a 1-0 score line. Deon Charter separated the two sides with a fifth minute finish down the middle of the goal, after collecting a left side pass.
Hope Street Tiger Bay defeated Stevedore Housing Scheme 2-0. Rensford Coleridge netted the opener in the 17th minute, thumping his right footed effort to the right hand side of the goal, from just outside the left side of the area.
The win would be sealed two minutes later through an accidental own goal by the Stevedore unit. In the final matchup of the second round, Retrieve Unknowns defeated Wismar Housing Scheme 5-4 on sudden death kicks from the halfway mark, after normal time finished 0-0.
In the first round of matches, Albouystown-B crushed Retrieve Unknowns 3-1. Roy Cassou opened the scoring in the second minute with a finish from the left side of the field, down the middle of the goal.
The lead would be doubled in the 11th minute as Cassou netted his brace, rifling his right footed volleyed effort to the left side of the net, from the right side of the field.
Chris Marshall would then make it 3-0 three minutes later, netting through a simple finish down the middle of the woodwork after collecting a right sided pass.
The Linden unit would eventually pull one back in the 16th minute as Shackee Charles scored through a right footed attempt to the back of the net, from the centre of the field.
Continuing in the same round, Eagles clawed their way past Hope Street Tiger Bay by a 4-1 margin. Delon McAllister netted the opener for the Linden unit with a first time right footed shot into the net, from the centre of the park.
They would double their lead in the 12th minute as Delon Charter scored from the penalty spot, after Hope Street recklessly accumulated the allotted five fouls.
Dennis Caldera would pull one back for the Georgetown outfit in the 25th minute, placing his right footed effort down the centre of the goal, following a pass from the right side of the field.
However the Linden unit would restore their two goal advantage four minutes later as Renee Allicock scored with a simple finish to the empty net, after latching onto a defensive clearance.
The win would be completed one minute later as Deon Charter added his name to the scorer’s sheet with a strike down the middle of the goal, after receiving a left sided pass from sibling Delon Charter.
Queen Street Tiger Bay came from behind to defeat Wismar Housing Scheme in their opening matchup 4-3 on sudden death kicks from the halfway mark, after normal time finished 3-3.
Andrew Chester gave the Linden side the early lead in the second minute, deflecting his effort into the net following a goal mouth scramble just outside the centre of the area.
They would double their lead six minutes later as Rawle Gittens netted down the middle of the goal, following a one-on-one with the defender after intercepting a Deon Alfred pass.
Queen Street would cut the deficit to one in the 10th minute as Alfred netted from the penalty spot, following a contentious handball call inside the area by the final defender in attempting to stop a shot.
James Meredith would then level proceedings two minutes later, placing his first time effort from the right side of the field into the left corner, after collecting squared left sided pass from Alfred.
However the Linden unit would retake the lead in the 16th minute through a powerful right footed Keon Sears effort down the middle of the goal, from the centre of the field.
With the seconds ticking away, Queen Street would net the timely equaliser as Jeffrey Newtown scored with a strike to the back of the net, from outside the centre of the area in the 29th minute.
With penalty kicks required to find a winner, the opening round of spot kicks would finish at 2-2 as both sides missed once from the mark. The opening round of sudden death kicks would then see both sides scoring their first attempts as the distance was then moved to the halfway point.
The Linden side would then miss both of their attempts from the halfway mark, only for Newton to net Queen Street’s second shot from the distance to seal the unlikely win.
In the opening fixture of the event, Melanie-A dismantled Stevedore Housing Scheme 4-1. Dwight Peters grabbed the opener in the fourth minute with an easy finish to the empty net, after intercepting a squared pass.
Gavin Blackman would level the scores three minutes later, lashing his first time effort down the middle of the goal after collecting a squared right sided Elroy Parks pass.
Melanie-A would retake the lead in the 10th minute as Shermon Fraser scored, finishing his right sided effort to the back of the net, after collecting left sided pass.
The East Coast side would increase their advantage four minutes later as Peters netted his double through a powerfully struck right sided strike. Jamal George would then seal the win in the 28th minute compliments of a placed right sided strike into the left hand corner.
Prior to the commencement of the tourney, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony opened the event with the ceremonial kickoff.
