Football: SFF Cup - La Passe, Anse Reunion, St Michel, Northern Dynamo through to quarterfinals |18 September 2017
● Rashid Gumbo, Rajamana net hat-tricks
La Digue sides Anse Reunion and La Passe qualified for the quarterfinals of the SFF Cup on Saturday while cup holders St Michel and Northern Dynamo also progressed to the next stage on Friday.
Anse Reunion’s Tanzanian striker Rashid Gumbo and Northern Dynamo’s Malagasy midfielder Rajamana scored a hat-trick each to inspire their teams to vital wins.
Anse Reunion’s Gumbo’s hat-trick seals Foresters’ fate
Anse Reunion triumphed to the quarterfinal of the SFF Cup with a hard-earned 3-2 win over Foresters on Saturday at Stad Linite thanks to a hat-trick by Tanzanian Rashid Gumbo.
The La Digue team though got off to a bad start when defender Don Fanchette had to leave the pitch and was taken to hospital with a fractured nose in the 7th minute and was replaced by Warren Bibi.
The players of coach Ted Esther won a penalty in the 21st minute when Noris Bibi was felled by defender Jean Yves Choisy and referee Egbert Havelock pointed to the penalty spot. Gumbo stepped up to send goalkeeper Elvis Leopold the wrong way for a 1-0 lead but Foresters should have equalised in the 33rd minute from captain Edgard Nandresena’s cross but Martin William’s glancing header sailed wide for a 1-0 score at the half way point.
Foresters upped the tempo in the second period and drew level in the 54th minute after Ryan Henriette’s shot was pushed out by goalkeeper Ian Ah-Kong and substitute Marlon Sophola, who had come on for the injured Francis Nourrice, drilled the loose ball into the net for a 1-1 score line.
Anse Reunion went ahead again two minutes later when Mike Lesperance inadvertently tripped the same Noris Bibi for another penalty which infuriated the Foresters players but Gumbo kept his calm to score with aplomb and make it 2-1.
Anse Reunion’s Ugandan midfielder Mohamed Bayerno should have extended his team’s score just past the hour mark from a short corner involving Roderick Rose and Gumbo.
In the 65th minute, referee Havelock was rather too lenient towards Foresters’ Lesperance who elbowed Noris Bibi in the head as he awarded the foul but failed to book the defender who was already on a yellow card.
Foresters fought back to level the score in the 68th minute from Choisy’s spectacular cross and Tanzanian Hussein Bakari headed past goalkeeper Ah-Kong in a crowded penalty area to make it 2-2.
This match was heading for extra-time but Gumbo had other ideas as he sneaked into the Foresters defence in the 91st minute to fire home Yelvanny Rose’s inch-perfect cross to make it 3-2 the final score.
Coach Esther though was still not pleased with his team’s performance even after securing a place in the SFF quarterfinals.
“We did not play to the expected level and we lacked concentration as we allowed our opponents back in the match on two occasions. So we have a lot to improve if we are to reach further in this competition,” explained coach Esther.
For his part, Foresters coach Rodney Choisy was also not happy with his team who had twice fought back only to lose this match.
“We gave away two penalties in a match where we were in control and had to fight back but then lost it due to poor marking, so I am disappointed with the players,” coach Choisy told Sports NATION.
La Passe beat Côte d’Or
La Passe turned the tables on league champions Côte d’Or in a 2-0 victory at Stad Amitié on Saturday afternoon in a match which ended acrimoniously.
This was supposed to be the pick of the fourth round draw and it lived up to its billing, but sadly it ended on a bad note.
La Passe had taken the lead in 5th minute through Malagasy Florent for a 1-0 lead at the interval.
La Passe were awarded a penalty in the 66th minute for a high boot by goalkeeper Neddy Lesperance on La Passe’s Malagasy Fredo who composed himself to score from the penalty spot to make it 2-0.
Côte d’Or’s misery was compounded in the second minute of the five minutes of added time when their defender Benoit Marie was red carded for trampling on Fredo in an off-the-ball incident which the officials consulted before brandishing the red card to the reigning footballer of the year.
At this point, Côte d’Or threatened to leave the pitch and play was held up as there were some unpleasant scenes and assistant referee Hensley Petrousse was being threatened and he had to run for cover as the fans converged on him to vent their anger and frustration and sadly there was no security to protect them.
Referee Yocette also suffered a lot of verbal insults as he blew for the end of the match and the officials were then escorted by the police who had to be called in to help them up to the airport but surely these happening are not acceptable and must be thoroughly investigated and punished severely as hooliganism must never be tolerated in our football.
Côte d’Or manager Robert Payet though felt that tempers boiled over as they were being punished unfairly by the officials especially assistant referee Petrousse throughout the match.
“We are fed up of being penalised by assistant referee Petrousse as we have complained formally about him on four occasions with solid evidence but the Seychelles Football Federation has done nothing and today it was a culmination of our frustration as I asked my players to leave the pitch when our defender was sent off,” revealed the Côte d’Or manager.
Manager Payet went on to claim that his team were hard done and added that one of the officials even told his players that he was always going to penalise them.
“Our opponents scored a clearly offside goal and then assistant Petrousse disallowed a good goal we scored five minutes later. Afterwards when our goalkeeper was infringed by a La Passe attacker, the official gave the decision against us and awarded a penalty when we were denied two clear penalties during this match. The final straw was the sending off when referee Kerens Yocette, who is clearly unfit, did not see the incident but again assistant Petrousse flagged after being told by La Passe players and the referee obliged and expulsed our defender Benoit Marie. At this point enough was enough and I asked my players to leave the pitch, but I cannot control the reaction of the supporters who could not take any more as they reacted angrily,” Payet told Sports NATION.
The Côte d’Or manager added that he is ready to close down his team if no action is taken against official Petrousse and if he is ever allowed to officiate any of his team’s matches in the future.
St Michel demolish Revengers
SFF Cup holders St Michel demolished Revengers 5-1 in a fourth round match on Friday at the Stad Amitié.
Malagasy Benjamin Razakatiana opened the scoring for the east Mahé club in the 29th minute and two minutes later, Andy Mougal added a second and Razakatiana bagged his brace on the stroke of half-time for a 3-0 advantage.
St Michel skipper Alex Nibourette increased his team’s lead to 4-0 in the 54th minute with a brilliant free kick past goalkeeper Jean Michel Marie and Neil Confiance completed the rout with his third strike in two matches in the 70th minute for a 5-0 score.
Revengers got a consolation goal on the stroke of full time courtesy of an own goal by St Michel defender Antonio Ratafina for a 5-1 result.
Northern Dynamo’s Rajamana grabs hat-trick to down nine-man City
Northern Dynamo’s Malagasy midfielder Rajamana bagged a hat-trick to dump second division outfit Victoria City 3-0 at Stad Linite on Friday afternoon.
Rajamana broke the deadlock in the 5th minute and netted his brace in the 24th minute for a 2-0 score.
City’s Hubert Jean should have reduced the arrears in the 36th minute in a good scoring position but he shot over the crossbar.
Northern Dynamo playmaker Rajamana bagged his hat-trick in the 54th minute as he pounced on an error by defender Rupert Pool to lob goalkeeper Steve Morgan for a 3-0 lead.
City were reduced to 10 men in the 63rd minute when striker Jean kicked out at Dynamo’s right back Dino Clarisse and referee Kerens Yocette dished out a straight red card.
City though should have cut the deficit three minutes later when Leroy Chetty was brought down by Kevin Mirabeau and he picked himself up but saw his spot kick blocked by Dynamo goalkeeper Frank Moutoni.
City’s substitute Roy Julie also missed the target in the 88th minute when he was in the clear but he shot wide and a minute later at the other end, Franky Naiken received his second yellow card in this match for a foul on Rajamana and he was sent off to cap a bad afternoon for his team as they were knocked out by a more ruthless Dynamo side inspired by Rajamana.
R. J-L