Hinterland powerhouse Annai Secondary was crowned the KFC Goodwill Series International Football Champion, dismissing Georgetown unit Lodge Secondary by a 2-0 scoreline on Sunday at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue.
The contest which was witnessed by a large crowd, was decided in the space of two minutes under the clear sky. First half goals from eventual tournament Most Valuable Player [MVP] Junior Rodrigues and Niai Mohammad in the 20th and 22nd minute respectively sealed the win for the Region #9 outfit.
For Lodge Secondary, it was a disjointed offensive performance as they failed to threaten the Annai backline for considerable periods of play. Dorwin George, Lodge Secondary’s talismanic forward, failed to provide the necessary inspiration against a well-drilled defensive line.
The opening goal emanated from a right sided corner kick, which the larger Lodge backline failed miserably to contain. The right foot cross was flicked on by an initial team-mate into the path of Rodrigues, who calmly side-footed his right foot effort into the lower left corner from just outside the left of the six-yard area.
Annai’s large fan-base erupted following the conversion. They would be given another reason to celebrate two minutes onward as Mohammad recorded a brilliant individual effort, effectively sealing the title.
Racing down the left flank following a swift counterattack, Mohammad evaded the challenges of two opposing players before uncorking a powerful right-foot effort from outside the penalty box, which fizzed past the diving arms of the custodian and settled into the lower left corner.
Due to the outcome, Annai walked away with the Championship trophy and medals. On the other hand, Lodge settled for the consolation second place trophy and the respective medals.
Meanwhile, dethroned champion Shiva Boys of Trinidad and Tobago defeated Waramadong 3-1 in the third-place playoff. Adica Ash bagged a second-half double in the 56th and 89th, while Steven Thomas scored in the 15th minute. For the loser, Ovid Andrews netted in the 55th minute.
With the result, Shiva Boys pocketed the third-place trophy, while the losers collected the 4th place prize. On the individual side of the presentation, Leston Smith of Annai copped the Best Goalkeeper accolade while Ash of Shiva Boys walked away with the Highest Goal Scorer title with seven conversions.
