MONROVIA, Montserrado – The second round of the 2016-17 Liberia Football Association Cup kicked off on Wednesday, May 24, at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium with two of Liberia’s first division clubs taking a superb lead into their return legs after securing 3-0 victories each.
With LISCR FC sitting third on the league table, five points behind league leaders FC Fassell, the chance of participating in next year’s CAF Champions League appears remote. The Shipping Boys have shifted their attention to the FA Cup, where they will be hoping to win to get the opportunity to participate in the CAF Confederation Cup’s qualifying rounds.
Now in the second round of the competition after a 2-0 win over Watanga FC, LISCR showed no mercy against third division championship club Muscat FC in the first leg of the second round as they grabbed a comfortable 3-0 win while playing away.
A stunner from team captain Saah Nyumah in the first half and a second half double from striker Trokon Myers were enough for LISCR to cruise to an easy win over Muscat to go into the return leg with a three-goal lead.
However, despite playing against a lower ranked club, LISCR struggled to gain possession in the first half as Muscat enjoyed much of the possession. But Muscat failed to make use of the chances created. For failing to get a goal despite their domination, Muscat went to the first half break a goal down after LISCR’s defensive midfielder, Saah Nyumah, scored a cracker in the 14th minute. The midfield engineer beautifully collected a ball from right back Howard Brigman and struck from outside Muscat’s penalty area to beat goalkeeper Morlik Keita.
Twelve minutes after conceding, the Paynesville area third division club nearly got the score leveled through Benedict Newton, whose shot was denied by goalkeeper Tommy Songo.
Having had a disappointing first half with poor ball possession, LISCR returned from the break very determined as they began to show they were a top team. The Shipping Boys took complete control of the second half while in search of more goals.
They doubled their lead 14 minutes after the kickoff in the second half through striker Trokon Myers, who scored his second his second goal of the competition. Myers slotted home the assist form Christopher Jackson to hand coach Mustapha Manneh’s boys a 2-0 lead. The former BYC attacker sealed the win for his side in the 73rd minute when he registered his second of the match to make the score 3-0.
The win did not only give LISCR the advantage ahead of the return leg but also saw Muscat’s unbeaten run coming to an end. The third division championship side is yet to taste defeat in the ongoing third division league season.
Meanwhile, first division leaders FC Fassell took a big step in reaching the third round of the FA Cup following an impressive 3-0 win over the third division and Margibi-based Morris Young Tiger Football Club.
FC Fassell lineup: Photo by T. Kla Wesley Jr.
Unlike LISCR, which allowed the lower tier club to have control over a certain portion of the match, Fassell showed no mercy and dominated the entire match, scoring three goals to go into the return leg with a significant lead.
A double from substitute Elijah Clarke and one from center defender Alvin Marconnel gave the Soccer Missionaries a well-deserved lead into the return leg, scheduled for Thursday. Marconnel scored the only goal in the first half with a header. Clarke, who was introduced in the second half, scored a brace in the 61st and 70th minutes to make the score 3-0.
Third division club Samira FC continued their surprise dominance in the FA Cup with another shocking win. Having beaten Mighty Barrolle in the first round, the Sinkor-based side were handed another test against the first division Jubilee Football Club. However, they showed their penchant for surprises when they cruised to a 2-0 victory over the Church Boys.
Two second half goals scored by Jimmy Mulbah and Willie Jones saw the third division side grabbing a win over Jubilee to stand a possible chance of reaching the third round of the FA Cup. Jubilee will now have to overturn the two goals deficit if they are to play in the third round of the FA Cup.
Featured photo by T. Kla Wesley, Jr.
