Two monumental showdowns on Tuesday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) decided the first two semifinalists in the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)- Kashif and Shanghai (K&S) Futsal tournament.
It wouldn’t be a Futsal semifinal without Bent Street participating
Close margins at the half were the common trend on Tuesday night at the Homestretch venue, and the fans were quite enthralled with this factor, which made for an animated resumption after a break over the Christmas weekend.
In the first two quarterfinal fixtures of the tournament, Leopold Street and Bent Street overcame their respective opponents Renegades and Back Circle in two electrifying matches.
Leopold St have cemented their spot in the semifinal
Leopold and Renegades were locked at a 2-2 score by halftime, following Leopold strikes from Darron Niles and Daren Benjamin and Renegades goals from Kevin Dundas and Leo-Orion Lovell.
By this time, the crowd ooed and aahed with every shot at the goal, as Daren Benjamin finally connected Leopold’s third. Darron Niles then extended the lead with a classy shot near the corner, but Jamal Pereira was swift with the reply for Renegades.
Just when Renegades got into their rhythm and looked like they would level the game, Benjamin found the back of the net once again, to secure his hattrick and push Leopold’s score to 5. By this time, Renegades appeared to have given up, and in the dying minutes of the game, Benjamin completed his helmet-trick to seal a 6-3 win for Leopold.
In the following encounter, Bent Street stayed true to their legacy, thumping Back circle 7-4. After the first whistle had sounded, Stephan McLean and Stephon Reynolds found the back of the net to give Back Circle two goals in the first half. Meanwhile, Jermin Junor, Daniel Wilson and William Europe netted one goal apiece to give Bent Street the edge and set up an intriguing second half.
In the second segment, Back Circle’s Selwyn Williams got in an early goal, and Rashaun Ritch added to their tally later on. However, Bent Street had a one-man show in the form of Jermin Junor. The highly experienced player found the back of the net 4 more times to extend Bent Street’s score to a victorious 7.
The Futsal action will continue at the same venue on Thursday, December 30, with a clash between Gold is Money and North East at 8pm, while Sparta Boss and Berbice All Stars will lock horns from 9.30pm.
