Determined to ensure that they did not go home empty-handed at the end of Barbados Football Association 2019 season, Weymouth Wales players fought back from a goal down to defeat rivals Barbados Defence Force 2-1 and take away the Champions Cup trophy.
This victory in the knockout arena Sunday night at the Wildey Astroturf was sweet revenge and helped balance the score for Wales, which had three weeks earlier suffered a defeat by a 5-4 goal aggregate at the boots of the soldiers in a three-match playoff series for the 2019 Premier League title, the other senior men’s competition.
Playing some robust football Sunday night, the soldiers perhaps thought they were on their way to a league and KO double victories when Captain, Raheim Sargeant, broke past Weymouth defenders and netted the ball in the 20th minute.
But a football game is for 90 minutes and Weymouth’s substitute Arantees Lawrence capitalised on a loose ball in the box then crossed to Romario Harewood who made no mistake in burying it into the net with six minutes to go in regulation time to see the match end 1-1, forcing extra-time play.
Just four minutes in the 30 minutes of extra-time, Arantees Lawrence featured in the goal-scoring play again, this time crossing the ball to Weymouth’s Antoine Greaves who scored the only goal of added time.
“We were disappointed when we lost the league, and the guys were saying they have to do something this year and the determination is what carried us through this game tonight,” said a happy Weymouth Wales Coach, Thomas Jordan.
He credited substitute Lawrence for making the difference.
“Arantees was introduced to bring energy to the game once the BDFSP defenders were getting tired. He has the technique, he has the speed, and the stamina, so that is why we brought him in so late. So, when their defence was tired we can apply pressure.”
