…Road Warriors, Bent Street, Team Cruel, Gold Is Money into quarterfinals
The final eight teams to participate in the inaugural Kashif & Shanghai/One Guyana National Futsal Championship will be determined tonight at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), after the round-of-16 has been completed and the final four matches are announced.
From 20:00hrs tonight, Unstoppable will battle Stabroek Ballers ‘A’. One hour later, North East will match skills with Espanyol. Thereafter, Timehri Warriors would come up against Back Circle ‘A’. The final match in the round-of-16 involves Sparta Boss opposing Bent Street ‘B’.
When the round-of-16 commenced on Monday night at the National Gymnasium, Road Warriors of Region #9, Bent Street, Team Cruel of Beterverwagting, and Gold Is Money became the first teams to make it to the quarter-finals, all with contrasting wins.
Road Warriors lived up to their billing as one of the front-runners to ink their name on this inaugural trophy when they hammered Ballers United of Berbice 10-nil in a lopsided contest. They schooled their opponents in the fundamentals of futsal to the great delight of spectators.
Dionathas Pereira (1st, 7th, 24th, 34th) led his side with a helmet-trick, scoring two in each half as Road Warriors ran riot against the lads from the Ancient County. In the three games they have played to date, the Warriors, comprising Brazilian and Guyanese players, have scored a total of 18 goals while conceding 5.
Wendrecky Gios De Souza, who fired in a hat-trick (4th, 8th, 27th) that mirrored his performance in their previous win against Victoria Eagles, has taken his overall tally in the championship to 8 goals.
An own goal in the 16th minute from Ballers United’s Lomar Reid, and strikes from Jaleel Alcindor and Arckson Dos Santos, both in the 38th minute, accounted for the other goals.
Another one scored by Road Warriors in their 10-0 demolition of Ballers United of Berbice.
Road Warriors have now set up a potentially mouthwatering quarterfinal showdown with Gold Is Money, which became the first team to qualify on account of a 4-2 win over Back Circle ‘B’.
Back Circle ‘B’ drew first blood five minutes into the encounter when Fabioan Abrams found the back of the net. Four minutes later, Gold Is Money found the neutralising goal off the boot of Andrew Murray, and thereafter controlled proceedings, easing into the lead when Michael Ballack fired in a double in the 11th and 12th minutes.
That two-goal advantage was reduced in the 14th minute by Back Circle’s Jeremiah Softleigh, but a William Europe missile on the stroke of half time (20th minute) restored the two-goal cushion for Gold Is Money, thereby securing their passage into the final eight, neither team being able to trouble the score in the second half.
Team Cruel, based in the East Coast Demerara village of Beterverwagting, continue to impress with each game they play. They put on their best display yet when they blanked Albouystown Ballers 9-0, Neron Barrow who missed at least three easy opportunities in the first half finally making amends in the second half by burying all four chances and ending with a helmet-trick (22nd, 26th, 37th, 38th).
Ian Dooker backed up well with a hat-trick, scoring in the 15th, 23rd and 40th minutes; and Jemar Harrigan touched in a double in the 13th and 38th minutes.
Team Cruel’s opponents in the quarterfinals are Bent Street, who defeated Stabroek Ballers ‘B’ by a scoreline of 5-2.
Two goals each from Jamaine Beckles (5th, 33rd) and Colin Nelson (20th, 38th) set up the win for Bent Street. The other was scored by Pernel Schultz, also in the 38th minute.
Stabroek Ballers ‘B’ got their goals from Jamal Cozier (19th) and Nickolai Andrews (24th).
The quarterfinals will be contested tomorrow night, Boxing Night, also at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The semifinals are slated for New Year’s night, and the grand final would be played on January 3rd, 2025.
The female segment of the championship would also begin on Boxing night. The round-robin format would be employed, and the finals are set for January 3rd. The four teams battling are Canaimas, Tucville Terrorists, The Lionesses, and Lady Royals.
The top female team would pocket $200,000 while 2nd place team would pocket $100,000. The 3rd place team would pocket $60,000 while the 4th place team would pocket $40,000.
The respective MVP of the male and female segments of these championships would ride away with a brand-new motor cycle, as would the respective highest goal-scorer and best goalkeeper, all compliments of the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain.
The top four male teams would be rewarded as follows: 1st place – $2,000,000 (two million); 2nd place – $1,000,000 (one million); 3rd place – $500,000, and 4th place – $200,000. These prizes are all cash prizes.
