The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) maintained their unbeaten run in the Georgetown Football Association Banks Beer Cup, edging Pele FC 2-1 in a top of the table group-D affair on Monday at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground.
The experienced duo of Rayon Morrison and Eusi Phillips separated the two sides with goals on either side of half-time in the 30th and 86th minutes respectively. Scoring for the losers in the 70th minute was Jumane Somerset.
With the win, GDF finished their group campaign with nine points from three fixtures. They will now faceoff with group-C runners-up Sunburst Camptown on Boxing Day in the quarterfinal section. Pele ended their campaign with six points from three matches.
They will now match skills with group-C winners Riddim Squad on Boxing Day. Contested in a cagey manner in front of a sizeable throng, the army unit would open the scoring with the best chance of a disappointing opening period.
Racing into the left side of the penalty area to latch onto a through pass, the versatile Morrison would unleash a powerful left-footed attempt which flew into the right hand corner of the net.
The resumption of the second half interval almost saw GDF doubling their lead in the 53rd minute as Sherwin Caesar lobbed his effort over the crossbar, after receiving a left sided throw-in unmarked within the left side of the area.
Pele would then make GDF pay for their earlier blunder in front of the woodwork, levelling the score line in the 70th minute as Somerset lashed his effort into the left hand corner following a goal-mouth scramble within the centre of the box, after the army side failed to properly clear their lines.
A golden opportunity would then be wasted five minutes onward by Pele’s Calvin Shepherd, denying his side the opportunity to take the unlikely lead.
Cutting into the centre of the box from the left side of the field, Shepherd upon receiving a perfectly placed Okeene Fraser flat right sided cross, inexplicably directed his unchallenged effort over the crossbar, sending spectators and team-mates into a state of disbelief.
The army unit would then put Pele to firing squad, grabbing the go-ahead winner as Phillips upon breaking the offside trap to latch onto a through pass, rounded the onrushing keeper following a one-on-one situation in the right side of the area, before finishing to the lower left corner of the net. Meanwhile Flamingo FC ended their event on a positive note, swamping Black Pearl by a 7-1 score line in the earlier fixture. Shem Porter was the primary threat going forward for the winners as he netted a hat-trick in the 12th, 16th and 82nd minutes.
Dwayne Layne was the next best scorer with a first half double in the 20th and 30th minutes while Fabian Crawford and Orin Parris netted solo attempts in the 56th and 59th minutes correspondingly to seal the huge win.
Due to the victory, Flamingo conclude their campaign on three points from as many games while Black Pearl remain on zero points from three matches. The quarterfinal section of the tourney is slated commence on Christmas Day.
