Golden Stars and Soccer City secured hard-fought wins when the 2nd Annual GT Beer eight-a-side Football Championship continued on Friday at the All-Saints ground, New Amsterdam.
Golden Stars edged Mahaicony 2-1 on sudden death penalty kicks after regulation time ended 2-2. Prior to the climatic finish, Mahaicony took the initial lead in the sixth minute as Ruel Chester scored.
A botched clearance from the backline following a right-sided cross allowed the onrushing Chester to slot his effort into the back of the net.
However, Golden Stars equalised in the form of Sunil Logan in the 23rd minute. The nippy Logan converted from the penalty spot after a Mahaicony defender was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area.
Mahaicony then re-took the lead in the back-and-forth clash as Oze Halley found the back of the net in the 24th minute.
It was a brilliant individual effort from Halley, who skipped past two challengers while racing into the penalty area, before rifling his effort into the far corner.
Nevertheless, the game was pushed into the penalty shoot-out realm as veteran midfielder Quacey Price netted in the 43rd minute.
It was a cunning strike from the stalwart, who re-directed an initial strike from his team-mate past the opposing custodian from inside the six-yard box.
Meanwhile, Soccer City upset Cougars-A by a 1-0 score-line. Cougars were dominant throughout the contest but was guilty of spurning several clear-cut chances.
John West then secured the unlikely win in the 14th minute with a powerful shot from inside the 18-yard area.
The tournament resumes today at the same location with another doubleheader. At 19:00hrs, Hopetown-B lock horns with Paradise, while the feature clash pits Rosignol against Mahaica Determinators from 20:00hrs.
