An uninspiring Fruta Conquerors book their quarterfinal’s berth, edging New Amsterdam (NA) United 4-3 on penalty kicks when the Mayors Cup Knockout Football Tourney continued on Sunday at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground in Bourda.
With the scores locked at 2-2 following the end of the normal and extra time intervals, the Tucville giants would get off to the worst possible start as captain Delon Williams was denied by the Berbice custodian low to his right.
The Berbicians would then take a 1-0 lead as Delroy Ferdinand netted from the mark in their first attempt. NA United would maintain their one goal lead in the second round as both sides scored in the form of Sheldon Holder (Fruta Conquerors) and Adrian Adams.
The third round would continue the trend of the previous section with both clubs netting from the mark. Daniel Wilson netted for the Tucville unit while Samuel Adams was on target for the Berbicians.
Momentum in the matchup would change sides in the fourth round as Conquerors converted from the mark while NA United failed to hit the target.
Chris Camacho would pull the scores level for the Tucville side as he netted to the left hand corner. Shot-stopper Romario James would then make his presence felt as he denied NA United’s Graham Thomas with a smart stop to his left
Odel Williams would then give Conquerors the lead for the first time in the shoot-out, placing his side’s fifth and final attempt from the distance into the lower left corner.
With a conversion needed to push the game into the sudden death region, Ray Reddock would disappoint his following as he fired his effort high and wide of the framework.
Prior to the commencement of the shoot-out, the Tucville unit took the lead in the 23rd minute through an own goal as an attempted Daniel Wilson strike from the centre of the field, took a huge deflection off a defender, wrong-footing the keeper before settling into the left side.
However the Berbicians would hit back in the 41st as Adams scored placing his effort into the lower right hand corner, after the defender failed to properly engage his advances within the left side of the area.
NA United should have taken the lead two minutes later as Jamal Butts upon racing onto a suicide back pass from the defender, lobbed his shot wide of the right corner with the empty goal at his mercy 23 yard out in the centre of the park.
The Berbicians though would not be denied as Adams grabbed his second in the 50th minute to push them ahead, thumping a spectacular right footed volley into the left hand corner, after an attempted clearance following a left sided cross fell fortuitously into his path within the area.
Nonetheless Conquerors would respond in equal measure one minute onward as Jermin Junior netted, lashing a powerful right footed drive off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net, leaving the opposing keeper with simply no chance.
In the opening matchup of the night, Pele FC overcame Berbician side Cougars FC by a 3-2 score line. Konata Manning led the winners with a double in the 32nd and 64th minutes while Marlon Nedd sealed the win in the 70th minute.
On target in the loss were Earland Hinds and Roger Crandon in the 16th and 61st minutes correspondingly. Due to the win, Pele will now await the victor of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and Pouderoyen FC matchup.
Winner of the event will receive $1,000,000 and the championship trophy while the runners-up will pocket $300,000 and the respective title. The third and fourth positioned teams will walk away with $200,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding.
