Football: Intelvision Cup oct 17 |17 October 2013

St Michel floor Côte d’Or to reach semifinal

St Michel knocked out Praslin outfit Côte d’Or 3-1 in a high-tension match played in front of a decent crowd at Stad Linite on Tuesday to reach the semifinal of the Intelvision Cup.

This was always going to be a fiercely contested match between two of the big guns of local football with Côte d’Or well poised to dislodge St Michel in the Barclays league division one title race.

This therefore added more spice to the midweek match-up as St Michel were desperate to save their season and they started more positively as Malagasy Hassan Aly forced a good save out of goalkeeper Kitson Cecile who had to push out a raking free-kick in the fourth minute.

Côte d’Or wanted to close down St Michel and it resulted in a very physical battle but St Michel still had the edge and in the 24th minute Malagasy Jimmy Radafison played a free-kick into Côte d’Or’s penalty box and the ball fell invitingly to Alex Nibourette but he shot over the crossbar with his weaker right foot.

Côte d’Or though slowly came into the match and on the half hour mark, Gerald Basset floated a teasing cross to Marcus Labiche but he could not direct his header on target as defender Joel Barbé pressured him.

In the 33rd minute, St Michel broke the deadlock from captain Don Anacoura’s lofted corner kick and Allen Larue sneaked in a crowded penalty area to head past goalkeeper Cecile to make it 1-0.

Three minutes later as Côte d’Or pushed forward, Malagasy Aly slipped a pass to Nelson Laurence who held off two defenders but shot weakly at Cecile.

Côte d’Or had a half-chance in the 41st minute after a good passing move but Malagasy Jean Tigana’s shot lacked sting to trouble St Michel’s goalkeeper Gino Melanie.

Côte d’Or brought on Collin Esther for Basset in the second half to improve their approach play while St Michel sent on striker Leeroy Corallie for the injured Trevor Vidot.

In the 46th minute, captain Anacoura’s shot on the turn crashed in the side-netting.

Côte d’Or though carried the game to their opponents and in the 49th minute Dine Suzette collected a long ball to set up Labiche whose shot from the edge of the penalty area came off goalkeeper Melanie’s knees.

St Michel countered in the 53rd minute as Larue combined with captain Anacoura who sent Nibourette galloping forward and he rifled a strong shot which goalkeeper Cecile pushed out.

Côte d’Or duly leveled matters though in controversial manner as referee Jean-Claude Labrosse, who struggled to handle this high intensity match, adjudged that Larue had fouled Tigana.

 St Michel protested this decision as assistant referee Hansley Petrousse who was inches away from the incident had not flagged as there was no foul.

Côte d’Or made the most of this free-kick which Tigana curled in the box and defender Marlon Sophola headed into the net to make it 1-1.

At this point, the match took a new dimension as the two teams threw caution to the wind and on the hour mark, captain Anacoura fed Nibourette who rifled a low shot which threatened to creep in at the far post before Côte d’Or captain Jones Joubert cleared the danger.

St Michel regained the lead with a comical goal after a horrendous mistake by Côte d’Or’s goalkeeper Cecile who completely misjudged Aly’s through-ball to substitute Corallie from his own half.

 Cecile rushed out to cut out the danger but got his judgment completely wrong as the ball flew over him and Leeroy Corallie just escorted it into an empty net for a 2-1 lead.

Côte d’Or had to go on the offensive and in the 75th minute they were denied a blatant penalty by referee Labrosse when Allen Larue clearly handled Tigana’s cross but the official turned a blind eye.

In the 83rd minute, St Michel’s Nibourette went on a mazy run from his own half and centred to Corallie who should have done better at the near post.

Two minutes later, Nibourette again showed persistence as he shook off Gervais Saminadin’s challenge to centre to the unmarked Patrick Bonne who headed home to make it 3-1.

Côte d’Or though kept coming at St Michel and in the first minute of the four added minutes Sophola picked out the busy Tigana but his half volley from close range was tipped over the crossbar by goalkeeper Melanie whose team have now set up a semifinal encounter with second division side St John Bosco.

St Michel manager Andrew Jean-Louis was proud of his players’ determination to win this match.

“It was a difficult match which was like a final with a lot of tension. But my players showed great fighting spirit as Côte d’Or made things difficult.

 But we were desperate to progress further in this tournament and I would like to congratulate my players for a gutsy performance,” the St Michel manager told Sports Nation though he was not pleased with the level of officiating.

As for the Côte d’Or coach Ahmed Abdou he was very disappointed with the official whom he said cost his team the game as he got it wrong with some crucial decisions.

“We did not play well in the first half but improved drastically in the second.  But we were hard done by the official who committed too many mistakes and even denied my team a clear penalty which is not acceptable at all,” an aggrieved Abdou told Sports Nation.

R. J-L.