Latest update February 17th, 2025 1:24 PM
Apr 17, 2017 Sports
– Sophia outlasts Bent Street for third place
By Rawle Welch
In front of what has to be the largest crowd to ever attend an event at the National Gymnasium, Spart Boss, regarded as the most dominant team in the shorter version of football, kept their reputation intact following an impressive 5-2 win over a young and promising Back Circle side in the final of the Petra Organisation / GT Beer Futsal Competition on Saturday.
Petra Organisation Co-Director Troy Mendonca (3rd right) poses next to Sparta Boss Captain Devon Millington holding the winning trophy, during the presentation ceremony on Saturday night, at the National Gymnasium.
Played in front of a capacity crowd that included large bands of supporters from both sides, the reigning national Guinness champs provided fans with an early glimpse of what was in store as they peppered the opposition goalkeeper with stinging shots from all angles at the start.
The story could have been much different had it not been for the brilliance of the shot stoppers at both ends with a series of explosive shots being denied by magnificent reaction saves.
The new champs, however, broke the deadlock in the fourth minute when a cracking shot from close range by Gregory Richardson, who had a superb game, was partially saved by the goalkeeper, before it trickled over the line. It was ruled an own goal.
Unfazed by not being awarded the goal, Richardson was in no mood to entertain disappointment and he responded by dribbling past one defender on the right side, before unleashing a missile into the roof of the net to make it 2-0 after eleven minutes.
The goal was met with excitement as their loyal fans screamed and shouted encouragement from the stands.
Mindful of an earlier defeat at the hands of their opponent in the tournament, Sparta Boss continued their onslaught on goal and who else it was to give them the cushion they sought.
Richardson stationed deep in Back Circle’s half collected a pass from inside his area, cleverly fended off a tackle, before hammering a fierce right-footer past the hapless keeper in the 22nd minute .
Back Circle are one of the new stars in this version of the sport and they showed why the pundits had them installed as one of the pre-tournament favourites.
The skilful Jermaine Beckles pulled one back with a low piledriver from long range four minutes later to make it 3-1.
However, the lanky Sparta defender Solomon Austin known for his overlapping runs gave a timely reminder of his quality, taking the ball from his own half, skipping past two flailing attempts to intercept him, before hitting a powerful shot past the keeper, one minute from halftime for a 4-1 advantage to the Bosses.
The second period saw a more spirited fightback and once again it was left to the two goalkeepers to execute mind boggling saves to keep the scores as they were at the break.
Akeemo Anthony Beckles made the proceedings a little bit interesting when he netted in the 34th minute, but Sheldon Shepherd put the issue beyond doubt when he fired past the goalkeeper in the 38th minute to seal the win and title.
Meanwhile, Sophia showed why they too are considered one of the top teams in this version when they beat the star-studded Bent Street 7-6 in a fascinating contest.
In the night’s full results:
Sophia 7 vs Bent Street 6
Sophia
Sheik Kamal 5th min
Desmond Cottam 12th, 14th, 20th, 30th & 31st
Akeem Jaikissoon 36th
Bent Street
Anthony Abrams 6th, 10th, 38th
Okanie Fraser 18th, 19th, 40th
Sparta Boss 5 vs Back Circle 2
Sparta Boss
Own Goal 4th min
Gregory Richardson 11th, 14th
Soloman Austin 19th
Sheldon Shepherd 38th
Back Circle
Jermine Beckles 18th,
Akeemo Anthony 34th
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