It’s settled. KFC Akademiks are out of this year’s LIME Pelican Football Challenge.
The defending champions bowed out of this year’s competition at the group stage after going down 1-0 to Barbados Steelworks Esso Oistins Top Bay Settlers at the National Stadium on Sunday night.
Having picked up one point in their opening three games, Akademiks needed a victory to stay in contention for a quarter-final berth.
Instead, Raheim Sargeant’s 33rd minute strike was all it took for Top Bay to eliminate the boys from The Pine.
In the evening’s other games, Phoenix Toyota UFO Firehouse also tasted victory, coming from behind to edge De Pier Sportstown Galaxy 2-1, while LG Kick Strike Force took a huge step towards progressing to the knockout stage with a 2-1 win over Direct TV Red Snappers.
But the talk on Sunday was mostly about Akademics’ bad body language and sub-par performance. It was another disappointing performance from a side which was expected to offer a stern defence of their title.
But they failed to fire yet again, with last year’s dynamic duo of Arantes Lawerence and Mario Harte almost non-existent, and striker Shane “Plucky Duck” Welch having a forgettable night.
As has been the case from the start of the competition, Akademiks lacked conviction in the final third.
They dominated possession in the midfield early on, and Welch should have really put them ahead after Omar Archer picked him out in the penalty area with a pinpoint cross from the left.
But with plenty of space, an unmarked Welch headed a weak effort wide of the post.
After some scrappy play from both teams, in which they seemed content to just launch the ball upfield, Top Bay grabbed the lead with their first meaningful attack.
A foul was committed just outside the penalty area, and after a long discussion, Mustafa Haqq stepped up to take the free kick.
His powerful shot beat everybody, including Akademiks keeper Dario Weir, but the ball crashed into the left goal post, before ricocheting back into play.
It rebounded perfectly for Sargeant, who held off his marker to tap into an empty net.
Other than some showers the second half was a dull affair.
Harte did show a touch of brilliance though, but Top Bay keeper Bernard Howell was up to the task, diving away to his left to keep out a dipping free kick.
Substitute Henderson Richards should really have put the game beyond doubt in the closing minutes after a horrible headed back pass by Omar Archer.
But after winning the race to the ball, Richards not only lobbed the ball over the advancing Weir, but over the cross bar as well.
The victory was Top Bay’s second, and put them in a strong position to advance to the quarter-final stage.
A brilliant strike from striker Akeem Hill in the 85th minute had earlier led LG Kick Strike Force to a crucial win.
Hill, who came on as a second half substitute, picked up the ball just inside the box, before firing a thunderous shot past Red Snapper’s stationary custodian Taizeo Riley.
Carl Joseph had given them the lead in the first half through a 19th minute strike, but Andre Leslie equalized for Red Snappers in the 30th minute with a beautiful curling free kick which left a diving Kareem Farrell with no chance.
Sportstown Galaxy are still searching for their first win after Firehouse came from behind to snatch victory in the first match of the evening.
Mario Springer gave Sportstown Galaxy the lead in the 11th minute, but strikes from Nicholas King (54th) and Paul “Soup” Lovell in the 71st minute, condemned the side to defeat.
