Football: Division one league - Red Star Defence Forces fight back against Foresters |14 April 2018

League leaders Red Star Defence Forces fought back from behind on three occasions to salvage a last gasp 4-4 draw against Foresters at Stad Linite on Thursday in a fantastic advert for football.

Nonetheless the big talking point in this very enthralling match, which kept the fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle which came rather very late than the added time, was Red Star Defence Forces’ late equaliser which was shrouded in controversy in many ways.

Nevertheless, the army team had made a positive start to this encounter when they broke the deadlock in the 10th minute from Malagasy Michel Nambintsoa’s cross which his countryman Jocelyn Fenosoa managed to get an outstretched foot to divert it into the net for a 1-0 lead after Daniel Maillet had hit the post with a cross two minutes earlier.

Foresters though hit back in the 12th minute from Francis Nourrice’s lofted free kick in the army team’s penalty area and there was Vanerick Michel to head past goalkeeper Jerome Dingwall to make it 1-1.

In the 19th minute, Vanerick Michel was at it again this time from Malagasy captain Leonard Besabotsy’s floated free kick which Ugandan Tony Kizito headed back in the goalmouth and the defensive midfielder guided his header into the net for a 2-1 lead as he bagged his brace.

Red Star Defence Forces had to raise their game as they pressed for an equaliser and in the 24th minute, Nambintsoa played a short corner to Malagasy Jean Tigana who centred the ball to Jocelyn in the penalty area but he guided his close range header over the crossbar.

Foresters rode their luck in the 33rd minute from Jocelyn’s inswinging corner which was met by captain Warren Mellie’s header but the ball came off the outrushing goalkeeper Kitson Cecile’s shoulder and sailed over the crossbar for a 2-1 score at half time.

Red Star Defence Forces made a double change at half time as they brought on Darwind Rosette and Lucas Allisop for Travis Quatre and Kenner Nourrice and they drew level in the 55th minute from Nambintsoa who was given too much space on the right and his cutback was intelligently allowed to roll to Maillet by Tigana and Maillet’s shot was spilled by goalkeeper Kitson Cecile and Tigana was on hand to punish him and stab the loose ball into the net for a 2-2 score.

Red Star Defence Forces then gifted their opponents a third goal when captain Warren Mellie, under pressure from Kizito, played a back pass to goalkeeper Dingwall who was coming out and the ball hit him hard and rebounded off captain Mellie to trickle into an empty net for an own goal to put Foresters back in the lead at 3-2.

Foresters’ goalkeeper Kitson Cécile pulled off a great block as he rushed out to block Jocelyn who looked odds to score in the 72nd minute as he latched onto substitute Errol Bacco’s through ball.

From the resulting corner, Jocelyn’s curling set piece crashed in the inside of the far post before Foresters cleared the danger.

In the 76th minute, Bacco cut inside his marker on the left and he then shot straight into the gloves of goalkeeper Cécile as his teammates expected a pass as his team upped the pressure.

Red Star Defence Forces attacked relentlessly and captain Mellie redeemed himself for his own goal in the 83rd minute when he collected a beautifully weighted pass from Nambintsoa which sliced open the Foresters defence and Mellie showed good feet and skill to skip past goalkeeper Cécile and plant the ball into an empty net for a 3-3 score.

There was to be many more drama in this pulsating match as Red Star Defence Forces were lucky not to concede a penalty on the stroke of full time when Francis Nourrice picked up a long ball and turned inside Jones Larue to thread the ball to Kizito but the ball came off a defender’s hand for a handball as some felt it was inside the penalty area.

But the official placed the ball on the edge of the penalty area and captain Besabotsy stepped up to thump a rasping shot in a crowded penalty area and the ball found refuge in the back of the net to make it 4-3.

There was to be another twist in this topsy-turvy match in the 95th minute when referee Fred awarded Red Star Defence Forces a free kick on the edge of the penalty area and Jocelyn’s free kick came off the wall as the referee failed to blow the final whistle and the ball was played back before Andrew Onezia fired at goal and goalkeeper Cécile could only parry the ball.

This resulted in an impending mêlée as there was a scramble for the ball and Tigana clearly fouled defender Marlon Sophola as he tugged him back to reach the ball and force it over the goal line and the official pointed to the centre spot for a 4-4 score line.

Foresters were furious and felt cheated by the officials for over protecting their opponents and more so for allowing the goal to stand and they tried to talk to assistant referee Gilbert Lusta but both allowed the goal to stand to let the league leaders off the hook as they stared in the barrel of defeat but salvaged a last gasp point in controversial circumstances.

Foresters coach Bryan Bastienne made his feeling known after the match when he spoke to Sports NATION.

“We feel cheated as our opponents’ fourth goal should never have stood as there was a clear foul and the officials let us down today in a match where we had a couple of players down with fever but they still tried their best and I appreciated their determination and I am proud of their performance in a match we should have won if not for poor officiating,” the Foresters coach said.

As for Red Star Defence Forces manager Philip Barbé, he felt his team were just lucky to earn a point in a match which proved more difficult than they had foreseen.

“It was a really tough match though we started well but then had to fight back and it could have gone either way and it almost slipped from our grasp and we have to be content with a point as we nearly lost it,” reflected the Red Star Defence Forces manager.

R. J-L.