Player of the Match, Derrine Gale-Forde, starred with a brace for Wotton Club in an unforgettable 3-0 triumph against Benfica in the opening match of the Group C double-header of the Prime Minister’s Cup on Sunday.
After a somewhat scrappy and goalless first half, with both teams failing to control the ball and produce those well-timed passes, it was Premier League side Wotton that sealed three winning points in extra time.
The opening goal came through an agonising play when Benfica’s defender Tyrese King buried his face in disappointment after scoring an own goal in the 87th minute. Then Gale-Forde showed up for Wotton and stormed through Benfica’s defence, earning himself a brace in the 90+2 and 90+7 minutes.
Still in its early stages, the Prime Minister’s Cup, played on Sunday in Speightstown, St Peter, pulled a massive crowd as the participating teams vie for a chance to win the $100 000 cash prize up for grabs.
Sponsored by Rude Boy and other proud supporting partners of the Prime Minister’s Cup, Benfica, despite being a lower division team, did not let that phase them in any way when they met Wotton.
Captain Jamal Alleyne, Traniko Browne-Carter, and Jadon Pitt all kept applying pressure on the attack but were unable to find the goal bar, thanks to good defensive policing from Wotton.
Rico Forde and Keon Harding did their best to clear any threatening plays by Benfica, with a good attacking style of play that at times created missed opportunities that should have been put away.
Disappointingly, Benfica lost their concentration on defence and were made to pay the price. A good, consistent effort from Gale-Forde, Jabari Papip Chandler, and Jayden Sealy ensured that Wotton dominated coming into the last ten minutes of the match.
The game’s intensity picked up at this stage, as referee Cai Jacob dished out yellow cards for cautions. Wotton, being the more experienced of the two teams, got the job done.
In the nightcap game, Pride of Gall Hill did not come to play, as they took apart Notre Dame 5-0, with Captain Shakarie Mottley and Tyrico Bellamy being the main destroyers.
Producing strikes out of the top drawer, Mottley electrified the crowd with a beauty of a right-foot strike in the 35th minute. From there, the free football entertainment continued as Gall Hill led 3-0 at the end of halftime.
The young, upcoming Tyrico Bellamy certainly announced his presence with two goals to his name in the 38th and 44th minutes. Both Bellamy and Mottley, with another goal produced in the 65th minute, were listed as Players of the Match. Then, to polish off the night for Gall Hill, schoolboy Radarico Marques struck from the 12-yard spot in the 90+3 minute, after being fouled inside the box by Notre Dame goalkeeper Tyrique Chase.
(AS)
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