It was an eventful weekend at the Francis “Baba” Lastic Ground in Gros Islet, with the league’s forerunners – Vieux Fort South and La Clery suffering upset victories in a bid for the championship title.
On Sunday, soccer fans witnessed an enthralling double-header at the FBLG , as this season’s Semi-Professional Football League [SPFL] continued with fervent momentum.
Vieux Fort North and Central Castries emerged victorious from two gripping encounters, with the ‘City Lads’ gaining an upset win over defending champions La Clery.
In the opening match, V Fort North held on tightly to defeat Soufriere 3-1. Edric Popo converted in the 4th minute to give V Fort North the lead, before Kim Augustin doubled the score in the 41st minute, for a 2-0 lead at the interval.
Though Soufrière showed some resilience by netting a goal in the 61st minute through Antoine Herman, the west-coast lads were relentless in offense. Popo displayed a standout performance, striking again in the 85th minute to seal the victory.
The second match provided a shocking stunner as Central Castries in the pole position toppled the defending Tier 1 champions La Clery 2-1 in a tense encounter. It was an emphatic upset win for C Castries, as La Clery attempts to catch up with league leaders Vieux Fort South.
Earlier on, La Clery appeared in control, with prolific striker Yanic Noel giving his team the lead in the 36th minute.
However, the city lads reversed that scoreline in the latter session with two decisive goals. Messiah Pinel equalized in the 75th minute, and then Rai Gaspard’s winner in the 90+ 4 th minute provided the impetus for a hard-fought victory.
Other match results were as follows :
Saturday (September, 5)
– Mabouya Valley vs. Anse La Raye 2-1
– Dennery vs. Vieux Fort South 2-0
Friday (September, 4 )
– Desruisseaux vs. National U-17s 2-1
– Canaries vs. Gros Islet 3-1
Despite the defeat, Vieux Fort South remain top of the table with 14 points from 7 matches and a goal difference of +6, holding a slender advantage as the season heats up.
In the meantime, Dennery’s victory puts them in second place with 13 points from 6 matches and a goal difference of +7.