Vergenoegen-based outfit Slingerz overcame a one-goal deficit to defeat Santos by a 3-1 score when the KFC Elite League continued on Saturday evening at the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) National Training Centre, Providence.
It was the third consecutive win for the unbeaten West Demerara heavyweight. Conversely, it was the third consecutive loss for Santos. The fixture began in the ideal manner for Santos, as Michael Oie scored in the second minute.
Racing into a defensive clearance, Oie sped past the static defensive line and touched the ball beyond the onrushing goalkeeper into the back of the net.
However, Santos was reduced to 10 players as Brandon Solomon was shown a red card after fouling Leo Lovell as the final defender to deny a clear goal-scoring opportunity in the 35th minute.
The numerical handicap eventually took its toll on Santos, as Slingerz equalised in the 45th minute. The conversion emanated from Bryan Wharton, who dribbled two defenders while cutting into the penalty area from the left side of the field before squaring the ball into the path of Darren Niles, who slotted home.
Wharton then handed Slingerz the lead in the 45th+3 minute, dribbling his marker once again inside the left of the penalty area before rifling a powerful shot into the back of the net.
The come-from-behind win was then completed in the 90th minute, as Marcus Tudor etched his name on the scorer’s sheet. Denied an initial strike inside the penalty area, Tudor, upon receiving the ball once more, dribbled the onrushing goalkeeper before lashing his effort into the net.
The event continues tomorrow at the same venue with a doubleheader. The winner of the tournament will receive $2,000,000, while the second, third, and fourth-place finishers will receive $1,200,000, $800,000, and $500,000, respectively.
