Yabra falls to Juventus in Regent Cup’s semi-finals
Good Evening, I’m James Adderley and you’re locked into the latest dish of Sports Monday. Week III of the Regents Cup playoffs found undefeated Kulture Yabra of Belize City at the People’s Stadium being hosted by Fabro’s Juventus Stars. Would week III find Kulture Yabra picking up its third consecutive win, or would the O.W. team ring up its first big W.
The first serious attack comes from the visitors off this spotkick, but the right foot from Roberto Muschamp sails high.
Kulture Yabra continues to press, but Landi Pinelo gets set, aims and misfires from point-blank range. The home team assumes a threatening posture for the first time late in first half action, when Freddie Tun keeps this ball alive twice, but in the end it all goes naught.
It’s Yabra again, attacking off the corner kick. And while the net shakes, it is nullified by a pushing foul from El Gigante Perez.
At the other end, Juventus follows suit goes to the attack off the corner kick, but the subsequent header just inches over the crossbar. And at the half, neither team had done enough to impress the scoreboard.
Second half brought little improvement to the level of football play on the pitch, so this push by Freddie Tun on Oliver Hendricks makes the highlights. And of course, Freddie is ejected for his misbehaviour.
Nevertheless, the first shot of the half was from Juventus, but it’s a launch Shane Moody handles easily. Downfield, Nunez finds Roberto Cunningham, but he can’t get the ball between the sticks. This one Tilliman Nunez should have smacked home, but ends up giving Giovanni Rodriguez a gift.
On this press, Yabra’s Barney Alvarez gets close, but gets no cigar and yes, he’d like to take that one back.
And it’s still a scoreless stalemate at the end of regulation.
Of course in this year’s playoffs somebody’s got to win and we’re into the very last minute of double overtime when Hilberto Muschamp misplays this easy possession, taking down the striker, and the referee rules penalty. Al Thurton steps up and smokes it into the corner for the 1-zip Juventus big W.
Al Thurton
“Well we show it today, we come out here with fi we heart. We di play with nine man. We could do it, so we could go all the way with it. This dah wah big win because all deh people back deh mi want I do it, so I do it fi them.”
Al Thurton
“We didn’t convert on our opportunities. We got a lot of opportunities, but we didn’t convert. We came here in order to walk away with this game to whatever length it went, but unfortunately, we didn’t score. We were trying to maintain our defensive posture, but we lose it right in the end.”
In the other playoff match over the weekend, Builder’s Hardware Bandits of Belmopan blanked Griga United 2-nil.
Turning to the cycling scene, the Junior Cross Country Classic staged yesterday proved to be a monster with this seven man pack arriving inside the Marion Jones Sporting Complex for the big finish.
We now come to the sprint for the big finish inside. Jamal Tablada gets up off his seat and literally walks out of the pack and hangs on to edge out Miguel Jones on the outside. Chris Galvez on the inside settles for 3rd, Mark Staine 4th, David Hyde 5th, Keagan Flowers 6th, while George Lovell Jr. rounds out the top seven, who were clocked at 3 hours, 12 minutes, 6 seconds.
Jamal Tablada, Jr. Cross Country Champion
“I was really going to try to help one of my teammates to win, but he didn’t have it on the end, so I just had to take it. Someone did jump before me, but I see he couldn’t respond, so I just went after it.”
Finally folks, the 24th annual relathon. It used to be the Belize Technical College Relathon, but now it’s under the banner of the University of Belize. It featured eighteen females and twenty-six males, and this year the guys didn’t catch up with the girls until mile two after the start at San Ignacio. The boys team picked up its thirteenth win in a time of 7 hours, 4 minutes, while the girls who have won ten times, were clocked at 7 hours, 5 minutes. And yes, life is real and then you got to face the results.
That’s it folks, we invite you back same time same place next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.
