The greatest upset of the Corona 2019 Futsal tournament was staged in the wee hours of Sunday morning as two teams booked their spots in Saturday’s final showdown.
Corona Futsal semi-final action at the National Gymnasium
After two exhilarating showdowns, Tiger Bay and Back Circle were the two teams left standing; and judging by both team’s performances on semifinal night, it is safe to say that the tournament’s final game will be nothing short of spectacular.
The first of the two semifinal games saw 13 goals being scored in total, with Deon Alfred going above and beyond the call of duty to lead his team to an emphatic victory. The first goal came in the 9th minute off the boots of Deon Alfred, giving Tiger Bay the lead, but only for a short time. Two back-to-back goals from Jamal Cozier and William Europe then handed Future Stars the lead by the 11th minute.
However, Deon Alfred was relentless in his pursuit of the goal, and was eventually rewarded in the 12th with an equalizer. Alfred found the back of the net twice more in the first half, and Jamal Cozier and William Europe each netted once more, to push the score to 4-4 when the first half had expired.
In the second half, Deon Alfred and his marksman feet continued his superb scoring, while the usually confident Future Stars began to fall behind. The last goal from Future Stars came off the boots of William Europe in the 22nd. On the other hand, Alfred went on to take his personal tally to 7, with goals in the 24th, 27th and 38th minutes.
And a successful shot from Keoma Gravesande put the cherry on top of the cake for Tiger Bay, as they sealed an 8-5 win.
Feeding off the hype of Tiger Bay’s stellar performance, Back Circle came onto the playing surface with determination and a win on their minds. Even at such a crucial stage, Back Circle were able to hold their nerve and play a composed game, but the same could not be said for last year’s champions, Bent Street.
After what felt like forever to the expectant fans who had filled the National Gymnasium to capacity, the first goal came in the 13th minute, compliments of Back Circle’s Quasan Mc Allay. A few minutes later, National Player Trayon Bobb took their tally to two.
Bent Street, who were having an off-night, saw their strikers fail to find the back of the net on numerous occasions.
Two more goals from Bobb and Mc Allay put Back Circle in a commanding position, as they had reached four while Bent Street were yet to net a goal.
Bent Street’s consolation goal came off the boots of Sheldon Profitt in the 33rd, but the lone strike was not enough to return the former champions to this year’s final.
Given the way Saturday night’s events unfolded, Back Circle and Tiger Bay will be the two teams to battle for the $500,000 grand prize in the final on Saturday, June 8. Meanwhile, Bent Street and Future Stars will have a shot at redemption as they vie for the $125,000 third place prize. Second and fourth place will pocket $250,000 and $75,000 respectively.
Additionally, the tournament’s MVP will ride out on a brand new Hero motorcycle, compliments of Rose Ramdehol and Hero.
The Corona Futsal tournament is sponsored by Top Brandz Distributors, and is coordinated by the Petra Organization.
