Football: Sunkiss’d division one-Northern Dynamo and Sunshine share the spoils |04 September 2004

The two teams went into Thursday’s match on the back of different fortunes.

Northern Dynamo, who had lost 0-3 to St Louis in their last match, wanted to bounce back and they took the right option in the 38th minute when Valerio Dorothé put them in the lead by beating Sunshine’s goalkeeper Philip Battin.

Malagasy striker Assman Todisoa came close to double the score for Northern Dynamo on the hour but his strong low shot sailed just wide of keeper Battin’s left post.

Coach Nolin’s players were made to pay for the miss four minutes later. Robert Suzette, who had earlier on sent his ground-level shot off target, chased a long ball forward down the right flank and crossed inside Northern Dynamo’s penalty area for Ronny Rose who back-heeled towards goal.

The ball ricocheted off keeper Jules Monnaie, and Denis Barbé, who had come in for Eric Bertin at the start of the second half, fired the loose ball into the roof of the net to put the two teams level at 1-1.

Barbé wasted Sunshine’s best chance of grabbing all three points in the 80th minute. After getting rid of two defenders, Barbé, with time and space to push the ball forward and into a better scoring position, tried volleying it home left-footed but mis-kicked.

Had Barbé netted the winner, Sunshine, who came from a goal down in a 2-1 win over SMB last Sunday, would have collected their second victory on the trot.

With 14 points after four wins, two draws and six defeats, Sunshine are in fifth position, while Northern Dynamo are occupying seventh place with 11 points and have two matches in hand.

G. G.