Alexander Village punched their ticket to the next round in dramatic fashion, edging group winners West Front Road 1-0 when the final group round in the Guinness Greatest of the Streets Georgetown leg concluded on Sunday.
Needing to win at the Demerara Park Tarmac, Jamal Nicholas proved to be the difference between the two sides as he found the back of the net in the penultimate minute of the 24-minute fixture.
With the fixture seemingly destined for a penalty shoot-out, Nicholas upon receiving the ball on the left side, evaded the onrushing final defender in the centre of the field, before finishing to the middle of the net to draw contrasting emotions from the different sections of the large crowd.
Due to the win, Alexander Village jumped to six points and a goal differential of +1 from their allotted three matches. West Front Road on the other hand, remain on six points with a goal difference of +3.
Meanwhile, former champs Back Circle clinched their place in the knockout stages, brushing aside Adelaide Street Charlestown in the penultimate fixture of the evening by a 3-1 score line.
Phillip Rowley broke the deadlock for the winners in the fifth minute with a first time finish into the right corner, after receiving a right-sided Andy Duke pass on the left side, following a pass combination between the duo.
Vincent Thomas would then increase their lead in the 14th minute, finishing down the middle of the goal after stealing the ball off the final defender on the right side of the field.
It would then become 3-0 five minutes later as Rowley netted his second of the night with a clinical right-footed strike to the left-hand corner from the right side of the park.
Adelaide Street would eventually pull one back in the 20th minute as Sherwin Smith scored after pouncing on a poor clearance within the centre of the field.
With the win, Back Circle finished on six points and a goal difference of +1 from three games while Adelaide Street ended on zero points and a goal difference of -4 from their allotted fixtures.
Festival City highlighted their status as genuine championship contenders, embarrassing East Front Road 5-0 to maintain their perfect record heading into the knockout stages.
On target for the winners in the group-C matchup was Dwayne Lawrence, Eon Alleyne, Daniel Favourite and Shaquille Duncan in second, sixth, 13th and 18th minutes correspondingly. Completing the score line in the 17th minute was an East Front Road own goal.
In the fourth matchup, former title holders Hope Street Tigerbay downed arch-rivals Albouystown-A 1-0 in a battle of group-D’s unbeaten sides. Rawle Adams netted the winner in the ‘battle for the ghetto’ compliments of a fourth-minute strike.
Globe Yard continued their unbeaten run in the event as they edged California Square 2-0 on penalty kicks in the sixth showdown. The score line at the end of the normal time interval was nil-all.
The third match of the night saw Laing Avenue brushing aside Durban Street 3-0. Rayon October, Raphael Charles and Osafo Angel were on target for the winners in the 16th, 20th and 24th minutes respectively.
In other results, Island All-Stars sealed their berth in the next round, defeating North Sophia by a 2-1 margin while Tucville ended their tourney on a positive note by overcoming West Back Road 3-2 on sudden death kicks after normal time ended 1-1.
The round of 16 knockout stage is slated to commence tomorrow at the National Cultural Centre tarmac. The teams that have qualified for the knockout round are Sparta Boss, Festival City Street Fighters, West Back Road, North Ruimveldt, West Front Road-Gold is Money, Alexander Village, Cross Street, Globe Yard, Back
Circle, Hope Street Tigerbay, Albouystown-A, Festival City Warriors, Island All-Stars, Leopold Street, Albouystown-B and South Sophia.
