Three-time defending champion Showstoppers will battle maiden finalist Brothers United in the grand finale of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ West Demerara/East Bank Demerara Championships on February 15th following semi-final wins Friday at the Pouderoyen Tarmac.
The mammoth crowd that descended on the venue was witness to a historic moment as Showstoppers secured their fifth consecutive appearance in the zonal championship match, a feat unmatched in any of the other competing zones following a 1-0 win over Up-Top-Bosses.
Golden Jaguars international Trayon Bobb was the catalyst of the historic moment, recording a ‘Guinness Goal’ [GG] [any goal scored in the final three minutes of regulation time and extra time, will be counted as two goals] in the 39th minute, in what was a rematch of the group stage.
They will now match skills with Brothers United who secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory via penalty kicks against emerging force Ballers Empire.
A penalty shoot-out was required to decide the outcome, after regulation and extra time saw a 2-2 result. Gadi Hoyte and Andrew Murray were clinical from the spot after Ballers Empire failed once from the distance.
Prior to the conclusion, Murray recorded a [GG] in the 37th minute only for Quincy DosSantos to equalise via a [GG] one minute later.
The two losing semi-finalists will face off in the third place playoff. Meanwhile, last year losing finalist ESPN will face-off with inaugural winner West Side Ballers in the final of the Guinness Plate Championship.
ESPN defeated Bagotstown Warriors 2-0 on penalty kicks after normal time resulted in a scoreless tie in their Plate Semi-final encounter while West Side Ballers needled Jetty 1-0 in the second Plate Semi-final.
An own goal in the seventh minute secured the victory for West Side Ballers. Winner of the event will collect $500,000 and a trophy, while the runner-up will receive $250,000 and the corresponding accolade.
On the other hand, the third and fourth place teams will pocket $200,000 and $100,000 respectively and a trophy. The winner of the Guinness Plate Championship will collect $60,000. The tournament is also sponsored by Colours Boutique, supplier of the team uniforms.
