Football: Second division cup-Libanotis comes up big for double winners St Francis |13 November 2009

“I’m happy I stopped the eighth penalty kick to give my team victory,” Libanotis told Sports Nation after the photo session with the cup on the Stad Linite pitch.

“I had to make a save after they had scored five and missed two. It has been an amazing season for us although I could not train regularly because of work commitments,” added the tall and agile goalkeeper.

After a remarkable 2009 season during which they also won the Barclays league division two title, St Francis can now take a deserved break to celebrate their achievement before focusing on preparing for their baptism of fire in the top flight next term.

Wednesday’s winners had to be decided on a penalty shootout (6-5) after the score was tied 2-2 at the end of the pulsating 120 minutes of play – the normal 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra time.

Midfielder Evans Esther turned St Francis’ early dominance into a goal with a 15th-minute pile-driver, which flew past The Lions goalkeeper Alvin Michel, who later came up big with two important blocks on Michael Payet and Harry Libanotis in the 44th minute.

After live-wire Dean Suzette hit the side-netting in the 53rd minute, left-back Kenneth Bibi pulled The Lions level three minutes later with a direct free-kick.

A real headache for the St Francis defence with his skill and pace, goal-bound Suzette won a penalty in the first half of extra-time (98th minute) after being pulled back in the area by veteran Malagasy defender Robert Edmond, who was lucky to be shown only the yellow card by referee Wesson Joubert when he was the last defender and should have been sent off. Bibi made no mistake, blasting in the spotkick to put The Lions ahead for the first time.

As the minutes ticked away, St Francis laid siege to The Lions’ goal and they duly equalised through substitute Stephane Barallon’s 113th-minute diving header after a lapse of concentration on the part of coach Marc Mathiot’s players.

Barallon was also denied by the crossbar in the 79th minute.
In the shootout, Michel stopped St Francis’ first kick taken by Esther, but after Bibi, Suzette, Darren Payet and Lovens Mathiot had scored for The Lions, defensive midfielder Michael Ernest stepped forward to take his team’s fifth kick but his effort hit the underside of the bar.

The score was tied at 4-4 as Barallon, Eldrick Adelaide, Edmond and Harry Libanotis had netted theirs for St Francis.

Michel again made a good save on Michael Payet’s attempt, but The Lions’ skipper Jones Joubert crashed his effort against the bar.

Rondy Onezime made it 5-4 for St Francis but Don Laramé again tied it at 5-5. After beating his opposite number with his team’s eighth kick, Libanotis guessed right to make a diving save on Khan’s kick to give his team a 6-5 win on penalties.

It was surely a miserable night for The Lions, who deserved more from this match.

G. G.