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By Samuel Peters
The 2025-2026 Antigua and Barbuda Football Association Premier League kicked off on Saturday afternoon with three exciting matches that produced 15 goals and showcased the talent across the island’s top-flight football.
The first encounter saw FC Aston Villa win by a 4-2 margin over Potters Tigers at the ABFA Technical Centre. Potters Tigers started brightly, with Jamour Martin and Mark Portsmouth giving them a 2-1 first-half lead despite Orel Edwards‘s 29th-minute strike for Villa.
However, Villa dominated the second half with three unanswered goals. Substitute Jahlanie Barzey proved to be the difference-maker, coming on in the 61st minute and scoring twice (85′ and 90’+3′), not before Dahvia Hughes added a successful strike in the 74th minute.
Moreover, the fans built up from 180 to 350 by the time the second match got on the way as Pigotts Bullets shut out John Hughes Sr 3-0. They took control early with two goals in the first half. Sujae Mcbean opened the scoring in the 13th minute before the advantage was doubled by Javier Wilmott to make it 2-0 by the 43rd minute to give Pigotts a halftime lead.
John Hughes struggled to create chances in the first period and showed improvement after the break. Ricardo Dennis and Tijahni Isaac found the net in the 55th and 59th minutes respectively, but both efforts were ruled out or didn’t count toward the final scoreline. Kimmon Harrigan scored the final goal in the 90+1’ minute to end the match 3-0. Despite multiple substitutions and added time, John Hughes couldn’t break through against a solid Bullets defense.
In the final encounter, former Champions Old Road FC capped off opening night with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Ottos Rangers FC Sr in a match that saw six goals across both halves.
The first half was an end-to-end affair with four goals. Rakeem Joseph opened the scoring for Old Road in the 20th minute, but Sanje Carr equalized for Rangers two minutes later (22′) then Josue Arias gave them the lead in the 28th minute. Kevon Lucas brought Old Road level 2-2 at halftime with a goal in the 41st minute.
The second half saw Old Road extend their lead to 3-2 through Joseph’s second goal in the 71st minute and the final nail in the coffin was slammed by Gisner Joseph in 90+7’ minute.
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