GFC, Fruta Conquerors U20 set up ‘Turbo Final’ clash

By Jemima Holmes

The final match of the Turbo Knockout Football Tournament has been set in stone, because the Fruta Conquerors U20 and the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) have each romped to contrasting wins on Sunday night.

These two Georgetown teams will meet in a monumental final clash next Sunday, and a figurative fight to the death is anticipated for ownership of the $400,000 grand prize.
These two teams secured their spots in the final in dissimilar fashion. Fruta Conquerors spurred a second half comeback following a tough first, while GFC were always in control over their opponents.
Pouderoyen FC were the first team to concede defeat on Sunday night, after meeting with their younger counterparts in Fruta Conquerors Under 20. The
more experienced Pouderoyen side looked good in the first half as they managed to restrict the energetic Fruta Conquerors’ outfit.

Fruta’s lack of accuracy in front of the goal contributed greatly to the Pouderoyen mandate, and the latter team fought hard to keep the scores locked at nil-all by the end of the first half.
The second half of the game had different fortunes in store, though, as Fruta Conquerors sought to execute more attacking plays, which paid off in the 61st minute, when a goal came off the boots of Wayne Baker to push the scores to 1-0.
Recognizing opportunity still existed to equalise the scores, Pouderoyen upped the ante, but their frantic plays only improved the situation for their opponents, who capitalized on Pouderoyen’s below-par passing.
Ryan Hackett pushed the win out of Pouderoyen’s reach when he scored Fruta’s second goal in the 80th minute to book that under-20 team’s spot in yet another final.

The second semifinal was a bit more entertaining, as Georgetown Football Club (GFC) continued their winning ways against former champions Northern Rangers, who were unceremoniously ousted from the competition.
Young talent Kelsey Benjamin wasted little time in opening the scoring for the Bourda side. After his 13th minute goal, Adrian Aaron scored in the 18th, for GFC’s first two.
Their flow of scoring was briefly interrupted by Damien Williams, who netted Northern Rangers’ first goal in the 33rd by way of a free kick from a few yards outside the box.
Unfazed by the Rangers’ desperate attempt to level the scores, GFC’s Benjamin proceeded to net his second goal in the 45th minute to take the score to 3-1 by the half.
Ralph Parris opened the second half’s play on a high note for GFC, scoring their fourth goal in the 49th minute; after which Damien Williams handed Northern their second in the 66th.
By this time, GFC were more than confident that they had the victory sealed, and the possibility of back-to-back Turbo titles slowly departed the minds of the Northern Rangers’ team.
Kevin Baptiste netted GFC’s fifth in the 90+4 for the 5-2 victory and a chance to challenge Fruta Conquerors in the final.
The final of the Turbo Knockout tournament is expected to be played at the Ministry of Education Ground on Carifesta Avenue on Sunday, January 26. Meanwhile Pouderoyen FC and Northern Rangers will have the opportunity to save face in the third-place playoff. While the winner of the Guyana Beverage Inc, Petra-Organized tournament will walk away with $400,000, second placed team will receive $200,000, and third and fourth placed teams will settle for $100,000 and $50,000 respectively.