Football: Division one league - Anse Reunion tame The Lions |25 May 2017

La Digue-based Anse Reunion tamed high flying The Lions in a 1-0 triumph at Stad Linite on Tuesday evening in a first division league encounter.

This match played in persistent rain began in sombre mood as the two teams observed a minute’s silence in memory of the La Passe player Gael Savy who sadly passed away over the weekend.

Anse Reunion were desperate to return to winning ways after defeat on Praslin last Friday in a match their coach Ted Esther felt they deserved better, but however the two teams’ coaching staff and substitutes were bothered throughout the match as the sitting area which had just recently been built is broken with the perspex all shattered which makes this area unusable and unsafe against the battering rain.

On the field though, Anse Reunion made a bright start as they opened the scoring in the 12th minute from Don Franchette’s long free kick into the penalty area where Malagasy Hugo Sezou was unmarked to steer his header against the foot of the post past goalkeeper Jerome Dingwall to make it 1-0.

The Lions had yet recovered from this setback a minute later when Anse Reunion captain Yelvanny Rose volleyed narrowly wide from the edge of the penalty area Sezou’s chested down pass.

The Lions, who have had to play three games in barely a week, never got going in this half especially their forward Malagasy Estel Randrina who was given little time on the ball by his former teammates in this first period with the La Digue outfit in control up to the interval.

The Lions made a few tactical alterations to the line-up in the second half in an attempt to get back in this match as they sent Malagasy defender Clariel in attack and brought on Darrel Lesperance in defence and soon had to also withdraw the disappointing Randrina and in came his countryman Lanto to try and spark a revival.

The players of coach Gavin Jeanne had a better second period as they controlled possession and were awarded a penalty in the 65th minute which Anse Reunion though fiercely contested as they felt hard done by the official.

It all started when Clariel tangled with Malagasy Tholix Jean for the ball and assistant referee Steve Marie flagged to indicate an infringement and referee Alix Bonne agreed and pointed to the penalty spot much to the disgust of the Anse Reunion players.

Liberian striker Mohamed Varney, who had grabbed a brace against Red Star Defence Forces over the weekend, took charge of the spot kick but his low shot was brilliantly turned away by a wonderful one-handed stop by goalkeeper Ian Ah-Kong.

The Lions kept pushing forward but in the 69th minute, goalkeeper Ah-Kong played a long goal kick into the opposite penalty area where Sezou had sneaked in behind the defence and it required a strong challenge by goalkeeper Dingwall to block his shot.

Two minutes later, Adrian Constance lofted a free kick into The Lions’ penalty area to Sezou but he could not direct a good chance on target.

The Lions. despite bossing possession, had only a half chance to draw level in this match where they failed to have a clear shot on target throughout the entire match and it arrived in the 77th minute after a mêlée in the Anse Reunion penalty area and the ball dropped invitingly to Lanto but he drilled the ball narrowly wide.

For their part, Anse Reunion had two gilt-edge opportunities to kill off the contest late. In the 88th minute, Tanzanian substitute Rashid Mohamed linked up with Noris Bibi who had a fine match.  Bibi though shot in the side netting when he should have set up the former La Passe playmaker Mohamed who was a in a better scoring position.

In the dying seconds, Mohamed forced goalkeeper Dingwall to tip over his audacious chip as Anse Reunion held on to register their fourth league win which lifts them into sixth position above their bitter rivals and neighbours La Passe while The Lions missed a golden opportunity to leapfrog St Michel and LightStars into third place on the log.

Anse Reunion trainer Ted Esther was pleased with his team’s battling display in a match where they defended well to secure all the points and halt The Lions’ progress.

“We were disappointed after our loss to LightStars and we had a serious talk with the players and they responded positively today as we managed to return to winning ways and I must congratulate them for showing great determination today as victory was vital in this match,” the Anse Reunion coach told Sports NATION.

As for The Lions coach Gavin Jeanne, he said it was just not his team’s lucky day in a match where they took time to get into their stride.

“We took too long to get into the match and though we improved after a couple of tactical switch, we just could not score and not even through a penalty against an opponent who were determined to stop us. So, we will have to sort ourselves before our next match next Thursday,” The Lions coach said as his team lost only their second match in nine outings so far this season.

R. J-L.