By Samuel Peters
The ABFA Second Division served up contrasting results on Friday evening, with Young Lions securing a comfortable victory while Belmont and Police played out an entertaining draw.
Young Lions recorded a 2-0 victory over TAMO FC, with Stefan Smith proving to be the difference between the two sides. Smith was in inspired form, netting a quick-fire brace within nine minutes to put the match beyond TAMO’s reach.
The striker opened the scoring in the 21st minute before doubling his tally in the 30th minute to give Young Lions a comfortable two-goal cushion heading into halftime. TAMO FC were unable to mount a comeback in the second half as Young Lions held firm to secure all three points.
Then Belmont and Police played out a six-goal thriller that saw the points shared after a pulsating 90 minutes of football.
Police drew first blood when Jamary Galloway found the net in the 11th minute to give his side an early advantage. However, their lead was short-lived as Nijah Hope equalized for Belmont in the 40th minute to level the scores.
Just before the halftime whistle, Police restored their lead through Ramar Perry in the 41st minute, sending his team into the break with a 2-1 advantage.
The second half proved to be equally entertaining. Michael Woode pulled Belmont level in the 77th minute setting up a tense finale. Perry then put Police ahead for the third time with his second goal of the match in the 80th minute.
Just when it appeared the Police would hold on for victory, Urel Mitchell had other ideas. The Belmont midfielder scored a dramatic late equalizer in the 84th minute to ensure the spoils were shared, completing a remarkable comeback and denying Police all three points.
Guydadli recorded a 3-0 victory over Blackburn Palace to claim all three points in convincing fashion.
Imani Joyce opened the scoring in the 18th minute, giving his team an early lead. Joshua James then took center stage, scoring twice before halftime to put the result beyond doubt. James found the net in the 29th and 34th minutes, completing his brace with a five-minute double that effectively killed off the contest.
Blackburn Palace were unable to respond in the second half as Guydadli comfortably saw out the match to secure a dominant away victory.
The win moves Guydadli up in the Second Division standings, while Blackburn Palace will need to regroup ahead of their next fixture.
