Another tournament, another exit as goals from William Europe and Kishern Lovell, powered Santos FC to a 2-1 upset victory over a complacent Fruta Conquerors FC, in the latest action in the Namilco One Love Football Classic.
Played at the Tucville Community ground in front of the largest crowd to date, the contest got off to a measured start as a midfield battle enveloped the early exchanges. Cagey and tentative, both units exhibited broken plays. Mistimed passes were the derivative of a wet playing surface, as both teams struggled to settle into a passing rhythm. The minutes continued to tick away as clear-cut chances became a prized commodity in the offensive front. Stagnating due to the combativeness of the engine room mêlée, the deadlock was mercifully broken in the twenty-first minute through a moment of sheer individual brilliance, as a magnificently taken free kick by Europe evaded the desperate dive of the Conquerors custodian, sending the Santos fandom into wild celebrations.
The resulting goal was just what the doctor ordered as the game quickly sprung to life. Shocked by their concession, Conquerors almost fell further behind the eight ball as a neatly worked move by the Santos frontline went wide by a whisker, much to the relief of the Tucville faithful. On the back foot after their defensive indiscretion, Conquerors on the insistence of their vocal following started to press forward looking to restore parity to the score line. Their ensuing forward charge was almost rewarded through a corner, only to be cleared off the goal line in the most frantic of ways.
Buoyed by their domination of possession and dictating the tempo through a now settled passing range, the equalizer was brilliantly restored as a neatly worked solo run and finish by the speedy Dwayne Lawrence in the twenty-eight minute, sent the Conquerors faithful into raptures.
Riding their new found momentum, Conquerors began to throw bodies forward looking for the go ahead goal as Santos capably attacked on the counter. Proceedings continued in this contrasting manner as the looming halftime whistle approached.
Opening up due to the back and forth nature, the second half started at a frenetic tempo. Continuing in the same vein with their strong first half finish, Conquerors almost took a deserved lead through a crafty build-up, only for the shot to be narrowly wide on execution. Clearly on the ascendency, the Tucville unit continued to throw bodies forward, only to be met with staunch defending by the robust Santos backline.
Willing to concede possession and attack on the counter, Santos almost took the lead again from a cleverly worked set piece, only for the danger to be cleared anxiously off the line. The pace of proceedings coupled with wet conditions underfoot began to take a toll on both units, as tired legs and fatigued minds crept in with the end of regulation time approaching.
Extra time started with both outfits trying to engineer clear-cut chances only to be met with forceful defending equal to the measure. Tired and running out of reserves, the gridlock was finally broken in the fourteenth minute through a wonderfully taken Kishern Lovell strike, driving the Santos fan base into loud celebrations.
Stunned by their untimely defensive lapse, the Tucville unit began to attack frenetically searching for uniformity. Under siege for the remaining minutes of extra time as wave after wave of consistent offensive pressure by the Conquerors frontline was applied, Santos almost conceded the equalizer as a marauding solo run and finish came crashing unceremoniously off the uprights, sending the large mass into a collective groan as the whistle sounded.
In the curtain raiser, Alpha United hammered the Guyana Defence Force FC 5-0- on the back of an Andrew Murray Jr. double in the twenty-third and seventy- fifth minutes while capable assistance was provided by Anthony Abrams, Gregory Richardson and Selwyn Isaacs in the first, thirteenth and twenty first minutes respectively.
