Four out of 20 teams that participated in this year’s Lamin Nawetan are through to the semifinal stage of the competition as the Summer Championship in the Kombo Central settlement of Lamin enters the semi-final stage.
Interestingly, only one out of the four qualified teams to the semis in the name of KGH Sports comes from Lamin with the rest of the teams coming outside of the Village.
The Lamin Nawettan unlike previous seasons has witnessed lots of surprising results this term which saw the early elimination of the village’s powerhouses the likes of Jatta’s, Falcons, Universal Academy and Wayeto West, who all bowed out of the 20-team league campaign amid dismal showing in the tournament.
Last year’s champions Sanchaba United became another big casualty to suffer from a humiliating defeat when they succumbed to a disastrous setback with a huge loss to Daranka United who were regarded as underdogs prior to the contest.
The other game in the competition saw Banjulinding United outclass Vex Yard FC in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw in the regulation period.
Sami Estate resumed their bid for silverware with yet another narrow 1-nil success at the expense of Network FC to progress to the semi-finals making them became the only team among the big casualties in the league to reach that stage in last year’s league cup competition.
Daranka United defeated last year’s champions Sanchaba United 1-nil courtesy of Lamin Jobe’s early first-half strike much to the delight of his teammates and the coaching staff.
Within the twinkle of an eye, Jobe hammered home what proved to be the decisive goal of a mouthwatering tie with only 8 minutes on the clock.
KGH Sports, who have had an outstanding performance against Jatta’s earlier in the competition, booked their ticket to the semi-final for the first time in four years.
That success came during their heroic display against Kairaba Forex, whom they entertained to a 5-4 penalty shootout victory after the 90-minute encounter failed to produce a winner in a goalless draw at Lamin Football Field.
The question that now remains is: Can KGH Sports wipe the tears of teams in Lamin who have all failed in their attempt to ensure the title remains in their own backyard by clinching the coveted title that is on the verge of eluding them this time around?
The semi-final pairings are as follows:
SAT 19-11-11 Banjulinding Utd VS Sami Estate
SUN 20-11-11 Daranka United VS KGH Sports
Meanwhile, two big teams in the names of Sanchaba United and Sateba United remain in contention for the top accolade, with the knockout championship title up for grab.
The Lamin Sports Committee did set aside dates for the semi-final match in which Sateba United will rub shoulders with Universal Academy, while Lamin Manga FC and Sanchaba United are to face each other in the other semi-final battle at the Lamin Football Field.
Pointsport will bring you the result of those matches in our subsequent publications as usual.