FATIMA College maintained their perfect start to the 2023 Secondary Schools Premier League (SSFL) premiership division after trouncing ten-man East Mucurapo 5-0 in the "Mucurapo derby" at the college grounds on Wednesday.
The 2022 Coca-Cola Intercol champions dominated with a second-half brace from substitute Justin Alcantara, and a goal each from man-of-the-match Michael Chaves, Tom Deckle and Christian Bailey.
The result also ended East Mucurapo’s two-match unbeaten run, which saw them only concede once during that period.
At the kickoff, East Mucurapo dominated the opening ten minutes. However, lightning strikes forced a temporary stoppage.
When play resumed, Chaves broke the deadlock after Aidan DeGannes wrestled the ball away from his marker and played a neat ball to Chaves, who controlled with his left foot and fired home with his right.
East Mucurapo showed composure after conceding early and had some fair chances to equalise. Fatima goalie Tristan Edwards stood firm throughout and also extended his clean sheet record to three matches.
East Mucurapo forward Jemon Gulston had the best chance for his team in the opening half as he beat his defender and tried to place his shot away from Edwards, but his effort was too tame.
Just before the end of the first period, East Mucurapo’s Clint Lutchman was red-carded for lashing out against opposing striker Bailey.
Seven minutes into the second half, Bailey presented Deckle with a timely cross inside the penalty box, and he made no mistake, shooting to the left corner past East Mucurapo’s Deshaun Alexander.
Not long after, Fatima went further ahead as De Gannes played the ball over Mucurapo’s defensive line which fell to a pressing Bailey. However, a surging Alexander tried to get it off him, didn’t make contact and Bailey fired into an open net.
In the 69th minute, substitute Alcantara hit a long-range effort from outside the penalty box which deflected off Alexander hands and went in. The replay showed the ball would have gone wide.
Into the 92nd, Alcantara got his name on the scoresheet once more, to seal an emphatic 5-0 triumph.
In other matches, reigning SSFL premier champions notched their first win with a 3-0 result over Bishop’s High in Tobago. St Anthony’s also earned their first three points with a 2-1 victory against Speyside.
Malick Secondary drubbed Chaguanas North 10-0, Naparima slammed nine past an unresponsive Pleasantville, Arima North spanked St Mary’s 8-1, San Juan North handed Presentation College San Fernando their second loss with a 2-1 win, and QRC edged past Trinity College 1-0.
SOURCE: T&T Newsday
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