Football: First division league - Foresters sneak past Au Cap |08 June 2018
Mont Fleuri-based Foresters defeated struggling Au Cap 2-0 at Stad Linite in a first division league match on Wednesday evening in a late kick-off.
The players observed a minute’s silence before kick-off as a sign of respect for former international referee Sophus Larsen, one of the best officials this country has ever produced, who was laid to rest on Wednesday.
Foresters made the perfect start as they opened the scoring in the 2nd minute from Malagasy captain Leonard Besabotsy’s lofted free kick into the Au Cap penalty area where Ugandan striker Tony Kizito nodded down across the face of goal to Francis Nourrice who slid the ball past goalkeeper Gerard Tirant for a 1-0 lead though the Foresters attacker was clearly offside which was unfortunately not signaled by assistant referee Daniel Cecile.
In the 10th minute, Foresters tested Au Cap’s vulnerable defence with another floated free kick by captain Besabotsy but Kizito just could not connect to divert the ball into the net.
Au Cap’s first real chance in this half came in the 25th minute from Ghanaian Emmanuel Armah, who was deployed in midfield and he played the corner kick into a crowded penalty area where his countryman Jonas Baffoe tried to bundle the ball over the goal line but Richard Servina made a goal line clearance.
The players of Coach Bryan Bastienne added a second goal just past the half hour mark from another curling free kick by captain Besabotsy into the Au Cap penalty area. As the Au Cap defence awaited a high ball, Besabotsy played raking ball which was stabbed home from close range by Martin Williams for a 2-0 advantage.
In the 35th minute, Nourrice pounced on a short back pass by their former teammate Malagasy Edgard Nandresena to his goalkeeper Gerard Tirant who did well to win the tackle against the Foresters striker to keep the score at 2-0 at half-time.
Au Cap showed more purpose in the second half as they dominated proceedings and in the 50th minute, captain Dean Balette played a long ball to substitute striker Chris Uranie but he flashed his shot across the face of the Foresters goal after holding off the challenge of Joseph Julius.
Au Cap huffed and puffed to try to find a breakthrough in this period but Foresters held firm as they were happy to consolidate their lead and drop back and repel their opponents’ foray forward to collect three points to end a four-match losing streak but remain in eighth position on the league table while Au Cap lie in 10th place with five points.
Foresters coach Bastienne was pleased with the victory after losing one of their speedy strikers during the break, namely Ryan Henriette who has joined high flying Red Star Defence Forces.
“We are pleased to get a win after the break where the players have not been training seriously and we hope this will motivate the players,” the Foresters coach told Sports NATION.
As for Au Cap coach Roger Labonté, he was disappointed with his strike force which never got going in this match where they fired blanks.
“We worked a lot during the recess to try and improve our position but today our strikers were not good enough and it is disappointing, but we will have to try and do better in our next match,” the Au Cap coach related to Sports NATION.
R. J-L.