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Archive - Archive 2004 - July 2013

Football: Airtel Cup-Goals galore as St Michel and La Passe join Red Star in semis |16 May 2005

St Louis’ scorers Zialor (left) and Khan La Passe’s wing back Verna Rose celebrates one of his goals

After Anse Réunion failed to collect maximum points, St Louis kept up the pressure on them on Saturday at Stad Linite with a 7-0 drubbing of Praslin side Survivors who have now conceded 14 goals in their last two matches.

Also on Saturday, this time on La Digue, La Passe showed new coach Kitala Ngonga that they are thirsty for goals with a 10-1 hammering of Baie Ste Anne 96ers, also of Praslin, for the biggest win so far in the competition.

With goals raining in since the start of the third edition of the tournament, a stunning 27 have been scored in four matches since last Thursday when group B winners Red Stars beat Praslin third first division side Light Stars 4-1.

Lopsided wins aren’t good for Seychelles football

Twenty-seven goals in four games, an average of seven goals per game is quite good entertainment for spectators for they come to football matches to watch their teams score goals. But is this situation good for Seychelles football?

It is always good when players, especially strikers, score regularly. It helps build their confidence.

What about the losing teams’ defences? They aren’t that solid if they leak seven goals in one game. So far, the two teams to have conceded the most goals are Survivors (25 in six games) and Baie Ste Anne 96ers (33 in seven games). They both lack first division experience as they are playing with the best for the first time in their history after winning promotion at the end of last year.

This proves that there exists a gulf of difference in the level of football played by seasoned teams and first division newcomers.

With teams coming to Stad Linite and to the La Digue playing field knowing that they are going to win by a very large score, it isn’t a healthy situation for our football. It is, perhaps, good for fans who like seeing their teams score crushing wins but neutral fans easily lose interest in the game because there is very little suspense and they know that it is going to be one-way traffic for the whole 90 minutes of play.

With the first division league expected to kick off immediately after the completion of the Airtel Cup, it is very likely that it will develop into a two-tier championship with the stronger teams chasing silverwares and the weaker ones fighting for survival.

Big wins don’t necessarily mean that the winners’ game is improving. We just have to cast our minds back to the month of March when Red Star and La Passe, who have registered big wins in recent weeks, were hammered by South African and Malagasy opponents in African club competitions.

Playing tough matches once in a while in the country’s first division league won’t help to improve the level of the game here.

This must be a point of concern for the Seychelles Football Federation which is responsible for the running of football here...

 St Michel get 2-2 draw to win group A

Defending champions St Michel can afford to lose their last group A match against St Louis after scoring from set pieces but still conceded a 2-2 draw against Anse Réunion last Friday at Stad Linite.

Back in the St Michel line-up, central defender Harry Libanotis blasted his seventh minute free-kick from outside Anse Réunion’s penalty area into goalie Ricky Rose’s net after Malagasy Simplice had fouled St Michel’s Joel Barra.

Anse Réunion were unfortunate to be a goal down for they started the game well but striker Yelvanny Rose twice squandered good scoring opportunities.

The La Digue-based team were back on level terms in the 33rd minute when, from inside St Michel’s penalty area, Juel Ah-kong applied the finishing touch to Dominic Kiyambu’s volley from Malagasy Jocelyn’s corner kick.

St Michel regained the lead in the 62nd minute, this time from the penalty spot. Anse Réunion’s Yelvanny Rose lost possession in midfield and then tripped Malagasy Leonni Nastinan inside the danger zone. Referee Eddie Maillet blew his whistle for a penalty and Nastinan picked himself up to wrong-foot keeper Ricky Rose.

St Michel’s supporters were still celebrating their team’s second goal when Yelvanny Rose turned from villain to hero, latching on to Jocelyn’s defence splitting pass to fire a cracker past keeper and captain Nelson Sopha in the St Michel goal.

After midfield workhorse Garry Robert went close with a 78th minute ground level shot which keeper Ricky Rose intelligently turned round his right post, St Michel thought they would collect all three points when Anse Réunion’s Alain Bibi appeared to block the ball with his hands on the goalline with two minutes left to play.

Assistant referee Jason Damoo flagged for illegal play but referee Maillet decided otherwise after consulting with the former.

St Michel’s coach Bernard Dorasamy again did not want to comment on his team’s play only saying that he’s happy to be in the semifinals.

As for crestfallen Anse Réunion’s Malagasy coach Soamady Hafany, he explained that “my team were unfortunate in front of the St Michel goal and conceded two goals from set pieces. We are not out yet.”

St Louis pressure Anse Réunion with 7-0 win

For the second time in nine days, Survivors learned that life as a survivor could be tough with successive 7-0 defeats to bring back to Praslin.

St Louis, who must have welcomed Anse Réunion’s 2-2 draw against St Michel the day before as it left them with an option on qualifying for the semifinals, opened the scoring in the 17th minute through young left winger Archille Henriette who headed home Alpha Baldé’s corner kick.

Two minutes later, Philip Zialor, free from all markings, turned well from inside Survivors’ penalty area to shoot the ball with his left foot into the roof of keeper Wilfred Ally’s goal after collecting a pass from Kenneth Khan.

St Louis added a third goal in the 33rd minute. Defensive midfielder Eddie Bistoé broke free from the middle of the park to play a one-two with Henriette before crossing the ball low for Baldé who fired home.

Khan brought the score to 4-0 in the 46th minute when he headed home substitute Fabian Cadeau’s left wing cross.

Eight minutes later, substitute Mervyn Mathiot added his name to the scorers’ list. Henriette’s shot from a Baldé assist was blocked by a Survivors defender on the goalline and Mathiot pounced on the rebound to score St Louis’ fifth goal.

Mathiot then turned from scorer to provider in the 59th minute, crossing to Khan who scored easily before substitute Brian Low-Ken rifled in his team’s seventh goal a minute from time.

Coach Marc Mathiot was happy with the win and stressed that his team “must stay focus to win their last match against St Michel (on Saturday May 21) to qualify for the semifinals.”

With St Michel having already sealed first place, St Louis and Anse Réunion are still battling for the final semifinal berth from group A.

With 13 points, St Louis play their final group match against St Michel and they badly need a win to guarantee second place. As for Anse Réunion, they are expected to beat Survivors on La Digue next Saturday and victory will give them 15 points which won’t be enough to see them through in the event of St Louis defeating St Michel.

They only way Anse Réunion can progress to the knockout phase and meet group B winners Red Star is if St Michel beat St Louis or hold coach Mathiot’s team to a draw.

La Passe welcome new coach with 10 goals

Rwandan coach Kitala Ngonga must have been pleased to see his new team La Passe score a lot of goals and midfielder Jimmy Kidega made his debut for the La Digue-based team in the 10-1 win against Baie Ste Anne 96ers last Saturday.

Needing just a point to secure their place in the semifinals, La Passe were safe with stopper Jonathan Bibi, wing back Verna Rose and Malagasy striker Eric ‘Didy’ Rajaobery scoring two goals each.

But Garry Radegonde, Melvyn Uranie, Salum Kinje and Malagasy Bruno Saindina joined the goal feast with a goal apiece.

Baie Ste Anne 96ers’ consolation goal was scored by Dereck Omath.

Stopper Bibi told Sports Nation through a telephone conversation that “La Passe will prepare well under new coach Ngonga for their semifinal match-up with St Michel.”

G. G.

 

 

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