Football: Airtel Cup Cote D’Or, Lightstars, Red Star-Defence Forces progress to semis |20 August 2018
Praslin outfits Cote D’Or and Lightstars along with Red Star Defence Forces progressed to the semi final of the Airtel cup over the weekend in varying fashion.
Lightstars sink St Michel in penalty shootout
Lightstars overcame St Michel 2-0 at the Amitie playing field on Saturday to bring the match on a 2-2 aggregate score which meant extra time and penalty where the Praslin team triumphed 5-4 to secure a semi final berth on a 7-6 aggregate score line.
The first half was goalless as St Michel was in control of this tie from the first leg on a 2-0 score but then Sergio Barra struck a fantastic shot from inside his own half when he spotted the St Michel goalie Alvin Michel way off his line which flew over him and in to the net in the 85th minute for a 1-0 lead.
Renick Esther sent this match into extra time as he netted in the 92nd minute for a 2-0 score and 2-2 aggregate score.
Both teams had chances to win it in extra time but as the score remained at 2-2 penalties were needed to decide this quarter final tie.
St Michel’s Malagasy Hassan Ali saw his first penalty saved by goalie Romeo Barra and Malagasy Noelson Jeannot netted for Lightstars to make it 3-2 in favour of the Praslin team.
However Malagasy Evariste scored to restore parity at 3-3 and his colleagues Nelson Laurence, Neil Confiance and Yannick Manou all scored for the record Airtel cup winners.
As for Lightstars,Malagasy Xavier, Paul Bruyelle and Sergio Barra were on target before Albert Rose tucked home the decisive fifth penalty to send St Michel crashing and Lightstars into the semis much to the joy of their coach Ted Esther when he spoke to Sports Nation after the match.
“The first leg result had not done justice to our performance so we fought hard again in a match which we dominated and should have scored with the numerous chances we had but we played well and I am very happy with this victory that will bring some joy for the people on this island after some tragic events and we dedicate this win to the bereaved family of the two kids who died in the boat accident,” the Lightstars coach revealed to Sports Nation.
As for the St Michel coach Rodney Choisy, he was disappointed his team gave away two stupid goals so late in the match.
“It was generally a balanced match where we had our chances but we gifted our opponent a sloppy goal where our goalkeeper was lobbed as he was too far off his line and we are disappointed at being knocked out,” the St Michel coach said.
Cote D’Or draw against Lightstars to qualify
Cote D’Or came from behind in this second leg encounter at Stad Linite to draw 1-1 and go through to the semifinal on a 5-4 aggregate scoreline.
This match though began in sombre mood as a minute’s silence was observed before the start in remembrance of the two lovely kids from Praslin who are related to Cote D’Or captain Benoit Marie who lost their lives in the boat accident last week.
Foresters went in search of a win in this match from the word go and in the 11th minute, Lawrence Leon played centred in the penalty area Joseph Julius throw in where the Cote D’Or goalie Curtis Jean-Baptiste had to take immediate action to clear the danger with Ugandan forward Tony Kizito lurking.
In the 28th minute tempers flared as Foresters’ Brandon Labrosse and Cote D’Or Malagasy defender Zenith got into a tangle but the other players pulled them apart and referee Alistair Barra diffused the situation with a yellow card to both players.
Foresters took the lead in the 36th minute from a defensive mistake by their opponent to give the ball away to Labrosse who threaded a pass to Kizito who got the slightest of touches to plant the ball into the net for a 1-0 score.
Cote D’Or had to react as if the score remained, they would be eliminated on the away goals rule and they did as they drew level four minutes later when Foresters went to sleep at the back and Collin Esther ghosted past three defenders to reach the byline and pull the ball back to Dave Brioche who stabbed it past goalie Elvis Leopold for a 1-1 score at half time.
Foresters threw caution to the wind in the second half as they put their opponent under the cosh and in the 48th minute, Labrosse showed some superb skill to centre to Kizito who laid the ball on a plate to Tanzania Hussein Bakari but he blazed his shot from the penalty edge over the crossbar.
Two minutes later, Hussein wasted an even better opportunity as Leon and Joseph combined to pick him out with a good cross but he volleyed wide from inside the penalty area.
In the 52nd minute, Foresters maintained the pressure as Kizito hassled a couple of defenders and when he won the ball he fired at goalie Jean-Baptiste who spilled the ball but Bakari was unable to pounce on the loose ball before it was cleared to safety.
In the 67th minute, Carlos Mondon sent Labrosse galloping down the left and he glided past defender Hedy Esther to bore on goal and he tried to squeeze his shot at the near post but the Cote D’Or goalie turned the ball into corner.
Cote D’Or lost both their strikers to injury namely Malagasy Kassah and goal scorer Brioche in the latter stages of this match and Foresters kept pressing forcing a couple of corners but the Praslin team held their own.
Cote D’Or then had a golden chance to win in the first minute of added time from Oliver Bonte’s cross to substitute Andy Brioche who had sneaked in behind the Foresters defence but he failed to control the ball but his team just managed to hold on to dump Foresters who put on a brave fight but lost 5-4 on aggregate.
The Cote D’Or coach James Barra was just relieved that his team had survived this tough encounter as he looks forward to the next round.
“We knew it was going to be another tough match and we also did not perform to our expected level but we achieved qualification which is the most important thing in this match,” claimed coach Barra.
As for the Foresters coach Bryan Bastienne, he was left to reflect on a missed opportunity in a match they should have won.
“We played well as we did in the away match but once again we gave away a soft goal but our performances in the two matches is quite encouraging and we will now prepare for the league,” the Foresters coach said as they clash with league champions St Louis on Saturday in the league.
Red Star-Defence Forces powers past Au Cap
Red Star-Defence Forces powered past Au Cap 3-0 in the second leg encounter in their Airtel cup quarter final match on Friday afternoon at Stad Linite to reach the semis on a 7-1 aggregate score.
Red Star-Defence Forces had done the hard work in the first match with a one man show from Malagasy Jocelyn Fenosoa with four goals and so they changed their line up as Rashim Padayachy and Malagasy Michel Nambintsoa were rested.
Nonetheless the first half was very poor as it ended goalless as the two teams tried to equate each other out with nothing much to write home about for the small crowd that had gathered for this encounter which was more or less settled in the first leg.
Red Star-Defence Forces raised their game in the second period and broke the deadlock in the 49th minute from Jocelyn’s pinpoint cross to Leeroy Corallie who headed past goalie Gerard Tirant for a1-0 lead.
The army team increased their lead in the 65th minute after some brilliant approach play by Malagasy Jean Tigana to elude a defender before he cut back to Barry Marie who fired past goalie Tirant to make it 2-0.
Marcus Louise had a decent opportunity to test goalie Jerome Dingwall in the 67th minute but the Au Cap midfielder blazed his shot over the crossbar.
In the 77th minute, Red Star-Defence Forces sealed this comfortable victory again from some neat play by Tigana to pick out Errol Bacco who rose majestically to steer his header into the net for a 3-0 final score.
The Red Star-Defence Forces manager Philip Barbe told Sports Nation that his team knew that they had basically secured qualification in the first match and that their opponent would find it difficult to overcome the score and he said that they were happy to reach the semifinal as they await to know their opponent.