New tournament’s new life
Four teams participated for the R500 grand prize, and the crowds gathered in support of the lads on the field. Among the teams participating were New-Life, Spartans, Stars and Real Santos.
New-Life Church was the proud name behind a Futsal tournament hosted at the Paradise Grounds Futsal Courts on Sunday.
Four teams participated for the R500 grand prize, and the crowds gathered in support of the lads on the field. Among the teams participating were New-Life, Spartans, Stars and Real Santos.
New-Life were off to a shaky start, losing in a number of the round-robin games, while Stars were a behemoth, winning every match the team played to reach the semi-finals.
Spartans and Real Santos both had exceptional starts, but it seemed the Spartans side were the destined to reach the finals, as the side managed to win all of its games, aside from the match against Stars. The Stars side comprised of many young, talented players, who currently play in the Boston Premier League, while the Spartans side contained many of the teams usual and former players.
The finals seemed set to feature these teams, but an upset was on the cards. Stars faced off against Real Santos in the semi-finals. Plagued by injury, the young side were unable to topple the Real Santos outfit, and the game remained in a nil-nil deadlock. Eventually it came down to a three goal penalty shootout. Real Santos managed to progress to the finals after winning two-one in the shootout.
New-Life pulled off a surprising two goal comeback when it played Spartans in the team’s semi-final game. Professor ‘Pro’ Brown managed to secure the two goal lead with two stunning goals, but New-Life fought hard for the comeback.
New-Life goalkeeper, Yusuf Limbada, kept his side in the game by stopping many shots destined for the goal. This match was also decided during the penalty shootout, and once again, young Limbada helped his side with two valuable stops. The game finished with New-Life progressing, thanks to a two-one penalty victory.
The final match-up pitted Real Santos against New-Life, and although both sides were exhausted, the game provided an entertaining spectacle. Real Santos were triumphant, in the end winning with a six-two advantage.
Real Santos Manager, Terrence Chetty said he was proud of his side.
“We train and play Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 6pm in the Newcastle Futsal League, and the community is welcome to join us.”
New-Life Church thanked the community for its support in the event.
