The inaugural Sibam Foundation Knock-out competition came to its exciting conclusion at a packed North End Stadium over the past weekend.
Heavy rain over the days leading up to the finals saw the Gompo Stadium pitch become waterlogged and unable to host the days action, which then saw it move to North End. Five matches, four of them finals, made for a very exciting day of action which was enjoyed by a packed crowd who turned out to watch the final day’s action.
The seniors’ final was the main game of the day and it lived up to expectations with an extremely tight affair that favourites Birmingham City shaded to take the title.
The challengers Burning Light played their part and did not give up until the end, going down 1-0.
“The main game was an exciting final as both teams were ready and fit to compete, they both showed character and made the game very interesting to watch,” said president of the East London North LFA Zolani Ngesman.
“Fans from both sides were nervous during the course of the game.
“The game went to first half with Birmingham City leading 1-0 and Burning Light tried every trick to come back but Birmingham City was very resolute at the back and was able to defend their lead throughout the game.”
Earlier in the day the three junior finals were battled out, which was a big focus of this tournament, the youth.
In the U17 final Black Destroyers and DUBS played out a tight 0-0 draw with no quarter given, and with the lottery of penalties deciding the match Black Destroyers held their nerve to take the win 2-0.
The U15 final was a more straight forward affair with Black Destroyers cruising to a solid 3-0 win over United All Stars.
The U13 final was a close game with United All Stars edging out Talibans 2-1 to take the victory.
The day’s action kicked off with the seniors third-fourth playoff between Abassadors and Imonti and after a 0-0 draw it went to penalties with Ambassadors winning 6-5.
“The event went very well and there were no incidents reported as security was tight and fans behaved very well,” said Ngesman.
Explosive finale to Sibam’s final countdown at North End
Heavy rain over the days leading up to the finals saw the Gompo Stadium pitch become waterlogged and unable to host the days action, which then saw it move to North End. Five matches, four of them finals, made for a very exciting day of action which was enjoyed by a packed crowd who turned out to watch the final day’s action.
The seniors’ final was the main game of the day and it lived up to expectations with an extremely tight affair that favourites Birmingham City shaded to take the title.
The challengers Burning Light played their part and did not give up until the end, going down 1-0.
“The main game was an exciting final as both teams were ready and fit to compete, they both showed character and made the game very interesting to watch,” said president of the East London North LFA Zolani Ngesman.
“Fans from both sides were nervous during the course of the game.
“The game went to first half with Birmingham City leading 1-0 and Burning Light tried every trick to come back but Birmingham City was very resolute at the back and was able to defend their lead throughout the game.”
Earlier in the day the three junior finals were battled out, which was a big focus of this tournament, the youth.
In the U17 final Black Destroyers and DUBS played out a tight 0-0 draw with no quarter given, and with the lottery of penalties deciding the match Black Destroyers held their nerve to take the win 2-0.
The U15 final was a more straight forward affair with Black Destroyers cruising to a solid 3-0 win over United All Stars.
The U13 final was a close game with United All Stars edging out Talibans 2-1 to take the victory.
The day’s action kicked off with the seniors third-fourth playoff between Abassadors and Imonti and after a 0-0 draw it went to penalties with Ambassadors winning 6-5.
“The event went very well and there were no incidents reported as security was tight and fans behaved very well,” said Ngesman.
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