Winners Connection overcame a one goal first half deficit to defeat Golden Grove 4-3 when the inaugural Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company GTT Knockout Football Championship continued on Tuesday.
Played at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground, Linden, Marmarlaque Davidson netted a brace in the come-from-behind win in the 51st and 61st minutes while Keon Sears and Runic Vokoll scored in the 53rd and 66th minutes respectively.
For the losers, Mickel Evans, Stephens McPherson and Keon Williams scored in the 32nd, 70th and 90th+2 minutes.
Due to the win, the Linden unit is now on nine points from three Group-A, matches sealing their berth in the semi-final round in the process.
Golden Grove remain in the third position with one point. Despite having the lion’s share of possession in the opening half, the Linden unit surrendered the lead with 13 minutes remaining in the period as Evans scored, stabbing his effort into the net after pouncing on a loose ball following a goal-mouth scramble.
The visitors maintained their lead going into the half time interval through dogged defending. Nonetheless, the Lindeners snatched the equaliser six minutes into the second stanza as Davidson placed his effort into the lower right hand corner, after racing onto a through pass within the box.
Winners Connection began to seize control of the fixture as Sears scored upon immediately entering the action, thumping a right-footed shot from the right side of the field over the hands of the ‘keeper and into the top left hand corner.
It then became 3-1 as Davidson netted his second, directing his towering header into the left hand corner after collecting a left sided cross within the centre of the six yard box.
Winners Connection further increased their advantage as Vokoll etched his name on the scorer’s sheet, slotting home into the net from the centre of the box after collecting a flat right sided cross. Golden Grove eventually pulled one back in the form of McPherson, firing his effort from within the box into the lower left hand corner. The visitors were then reduced to 10 men in the 85th minute as Roger Sandy received two yellow cards in the space of two minutes.
The East Coast of Demerara unit ultimately netted their final goal at the end of normal time as a curling Williams freekick from 24 yards out in the centre which was spilt by the goalkeeper comically into the net.
In the opening fixture, Milerock secured their first win of the event after defeating Ann’s Grove 2-0 in their group-B affair. Clarence Huggins recorded a double in the 45th and 74th minutes to seal the vital three points.
The Linden team now has three points and sit in the third position in the group while Ann’s Grove is in the cellar position of the group on three points.
With the Lindeners getting the better of the opening exchanges, Huggins broke the deadlock on the stroke of half time with a powerful shot from within the box into the top left hand corner of the net.
He then sealed the win 16 minutes before the end of regulation time, directing his header into the left corner after collecting right sided cross within the centre of the penalty box.
The winning team will pocket $500,000 and the championship trophy while the second place side will pocket $250,000 and the respective accolade. The third place side will receive $125,000 and a trophy while the fourth positioned unit will collect $75,000 and the respective accolade.
