Rivers View defeated Lazio 6-3 when the Bartica Football Association Yearend Knockout Championship commenced on Monday evening at the Community Centre ground.
Leon Tappin handed Lazio the initial lead via a ninth-minute strike. However, Andrew Simmons equalised for Rivers View in the 24th minute.
Simmons then made his presence felt once, as he completed his double in the 34th minute to hand his side a 2-1 advantage. The score remained unchanged heading into the halftime interval.
The score was levelled once again in the 50th minute, this time in the form of Lazio’s Ashton Simmons.
The sea-saw nature of the contest continued in the 67th minute, as Anzel Edwards found the back of the net to push River View ahead at 3-2. The aforesaid advantage proved to be short-lived, as Michael Hope restored parity to proceedings two minutes later.
It was from this point that Simmons, in conjunction with Eclison Vallaudilla, took control of the contest, scoring three unanswered goals to secure the result.
Vallaudilla pushed Rivers View, handing Rivers View a 4-3 lead with a 74th-minute conversion. Simmons then secured his hat-trick to double his side’s advantage as he etched his name on the scorer’s sheet four minutes onward. He would then seal his helmet-trick and the outcome in the 86th minute.
Meanwhile, the Beacons were given a direct berth to the semifinal round after Mil Ballers opted out of the competition. The event continues on Saturday at the same venue with another round of matches.
Complete Results
Game-1
Rivers View-6 vs Lazio-3
Rivers View scorers
Andrew Simmons-25th, 34th, 78th, and 86th
Anzel Edwards-67th
Eclison Vallaudilla-74th
Lazio scorers
Leon Tappin-9th
Ashton Simmons-50th
Michael Hope-69th
