After two painstaking semi-finals which were both decided by penalty kicks, Alpha United prevailed over Sunburst Camptown 4-2, while Tigers outlasted defending champions Pele 3-1.
It was the first time in the 20 year history of the tournament that both semi-finals were decided by penalty kicks.
Football fans witnessed squander-mania in both encounters which saw both teams failing to score at the end of regulation and even extra time and some inept penalty shooting by some of the country’s premier players.
In the first match of the double-header, Alpha pressured a ‘defensive’ Camptown side for most of the encounter but failed to find the back of the net due in part to sloppy finishes and superb goalkeeping by Camptown’s custodian Richie Richards and an overworked defence led by Orlando Gilgeous.
Dwight Peters, Walter `Boyd’ Moore, Dwaine Jacobs, Quincy Madramootoo and Keyon Edwards all had excellent scoring chances for Alpha which they failed to convert.
Camptown’s Telson McKennon and Nigel “Powers” Codrington, also thwarted two golden opportunities during the later stage on regular time.
Extra time also failed to produce any goals and in the shootout Alpha captain Howard Lowe, Peters, Issa McPherson and Edwards scored for the victors while Rishawn Sandiford and Troy ‘Bugsy’ Prescod netted for Camptown with Codrington and Gilgeous missing failing to score.
Codrington took the first shot only to watch in dismay as the ball hit the cross bar.
The second match between defending champions Pele and Tigers produced early fireworks but eventually lost momentum.
Pele’s star striker Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson, was kept in check for most of the match by sturdy Tigers defenders Dillon Fraser and Sherman David which affected the 2008-2009 champions attack.
Shawn `Bubbly’ Beveney and Devon Millington produced early raids on Pele’s defence while Pele’s Travis ‘Zorro’ Grant squandered a sitter in the penalty area very early in the match that proved costly to the defending champions.
Gerald Whittington, who netted the famous lone goal in Pele’s 1-0 win in the 2008-2009 final, proved ineffective and was substituted.
Pele was forced further into defensive mode when defender Mervyn Liverpool was red carded after a second bookable offence midway in the second half.
Both teams tried to gain the upper hand but after 90 minutes of regular time followed by extra time and no goals for either team it was once again penalty kicks that decided the contest.
Up first for Pele was Richardson who blasted in a hard and flat right foot shot which sent the Western Tigers goalkeeper the wrong way.
Western Tigers’ defender Sherman David was next and he made no mistake with the shot to equalize for his team.
Richardson’s goal turned out to be the only success for Pele as Grant, Marvin Joseph and Konata Manning, who had two attempts after the referee deemed Tigers’ goalkeeper Derrick Carter had moved before the shot was taken, all failed miserably.
Grant and Manning both had their shots saved by the energetic Carter in goal while striker Mervin Joseph’s shot did not even go close to the goal.
To rub salt into the wound, Tigers’ shooters were bang on target with David, Beveney and Dwayne Ali scoring for the winners.
Tigers who will be looking to secure their first Kashif and Shanghai title, had earlier beaten Linden’s Bakewell Topp XX and Victoria Kings on their path to the final while former champions Alpha United got the better of Fruta Conquerors and Grove Hi Tec before victory in Monday’s semi-finals.
