The Blackheart Football tournament returned to the Soufriere Mini Stadium on Wednesday, after a postponement due to a “security concern.”
In a dramatic affair, Canaries overcame Vieux Fort North to advance to the next round.
The deadlock was broken in the 32nd minute by Denille Jn Baptiste, whose goal gave Canaries a narrow 1-0 lead going into halftime. Eager to equalize, Vieux Fort North intensified their efforts in the second half.
However, the intensity of the fixture seemed to overwhelm the players, leading to an ill-tempered second half. Several players from both teams received bookings, with heated exchanges on the pitch causing extended delays as emotions ran high.
An 85th-minute red card for Vieux Fort North’s Dillon Francis, following a second yellow, further compounded their troubles.
Despite being a man down, Vieux Fort North had an opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot after a foul by the Canaries goalkeeper. Unfortunately, the penalty taker squandered the chance, sending the ball high over the bar and into the night sky. A second red card in the 95th minute sealed a night to forget for the men from the south.
Vieux Fort North President Dwain Edward indicated that the loss was largely due to his team’s failure to meet the minimum requirements for them to be victorious. He was however pleased with the intensity shown, despite injuries and send-offs.
“We did not take the chances we got. We did not create the chances that we trained for. We did not really play according to the game plan” he said. “Both teams fought. Literally, they fought to win. Canaries came out with the better team and so be it. But the intensity was there. Moving forward, maybe we need to put in place better training structure, putting in place a lot of things that can improve how we absorb pressure and how we deliver pressure [to the opposition]”
While St. Lucia Times was unable to get a comment from the victorious camp, Canaries will hope to continue from strength to strength throughout their campaign.
