Penalty shoot-out wins for North East La Penitence and Agricola alongside outright victories for Festival City, Mocha Ballers, Samaroo Dam and Globe Yard highlighted the final group round of the inaugural RDE Vibes and Sparta Boss ‘King of the Streets’ Football Tourney.
Staged at the Sparta Boss Tarmac in East La Penitence on Tuesday, the youthful North East unit defeated arch-rivals West Front Road-Gold is Money 3-2 via sudden death kicks, following a goal-less normal time interval in the final fixture of the night.
Tasked with taking first strike from the mark, North East made no mistake as they converted from the distance. West Front Road quickly levelled the score as they netted from their first attempt at the distance.
The second round also failed to find a winner as both sides netted from the mark respectively. North East then took the lead as they netted in their attempt from the mark.
Needing a conversion to push the fixture into the next round, West Front Road would seal their own fate as they missed from the mark. The sixth showdown between Agricola and Queen Street Tiger Bay was also decided by penalty kicks as the former won by a 1-0 score line.
With the score locked at nil-all at the end of the normal time interval, Queen Street was asked to take first strike from the distance in the sudden death shoot-out.
Stepping up to the mark was Darren Harris who inexplicably missed his right footed attempt. The East Bank of Demerara outfit quickly capitalised to seal the matchup as they scored in their first strike from the mark.
In the third showdown, Festival City blanked West Demerara unit Jetty Gunners by a 4-0 score line. Daniel Favourite commenced the rout in the fifth minute, stealing the ball in-front of the goal before finishing into the lower left corner.
It then became 2-0 as Favourite netted his second of the night one minute onward, finishing into the lower left corner after racing onto a right sided pass on the left side of the field.
Festival City continued to place further daylight between the two sides as Dwayne Lawrence scored in the seventh minute, stealing the ball from the final defender before calmly slotting home unchallenged down the centre of the net.
The lopsided encounter was then sealed as Shaquille Duncan scored with a 18th minute strike from the left side of the field.
Similarly in the fifth matchup, Mocha Ballers downed veteran outfit Broad Street by a 1-0 margin. Steffon Ramsay netted the fixture’s only goal in the 10th minute compliments of a finish from the right side of the field into the left corner.
In the opening fixture of the evening, Globe Yard downed Alberttown 1-0. Anthony Francis registered the winner in the 13th minute with a powerful attempt into the back of the net from the centre of the field. The second showdown witnessed Samaroo Dam edging Showstoppers-B by a 1-0 score line. Kevin Edghill separated the two sides in the 10th minute, racing onto a loose ball on the right side to unleash a first time effort which sailed into the centre of the net. In the other results, Leopold Street defeated Albouystown via walkover while Alexander Village defeated Showstoppers by an identical method. Action in the event is set to continue today at the same venue with the opening night of knockout round matches.
Winner of the tournament will walk away with $400,000 and the championship trophy while the second, third and fourth place sides will receive $150,000, $80,000 and $20,000 correspondingly.
