Weymouth Wales have retained their Champions Cup title after edging Kickstart Rush 1-0 in a tense final at the Wildey Turf on Sunday evening.
The decisive moment came with just nine minutes remaining in regulation time. Midfielder Jaheim Neblett ghosted into the penalty area to meet a sumptuous pass before rifling his shot beyond the despairing dive of goalkeeper Ben Everett, sealing victory and the $20 000 cash prize for the defending champions. Losing finalists Kickstart get $12 500 to cap off a tidy season which includes a midtable league finish.
Wales set the tone early, dominating possession and penning Rush deep into their own half. Midfielder Romario Harewood was the first to test Everett with a dipping free kick from just outside the box, which the Kickstart custodian did well to tip over. Moments later, Everett was again called into action to deny Harewood’s curling effort from the edge of the area. Armando Lashley then looped a header over the bar, though the flag was already raised for offside. Harewood continued his personal duel with Everett, but his right-footed attempt was comfortably gathered.
Kickstart’s first real opportunity arrived in the 24th minute when they exploited Wales’ high defensive line to break through on goal. Striker Nicholas Best opted against taking the shot first time when a square pass came his way, instead attempting to tee up a teammate, but the move fizzled out.
At the other end, defender Dzmitry Dzhiako was outstanding in marshalling the Wales attack, keeping forward Shaquille Stuart quiet and positioning himself superbly to make crucial blocks. He was finally found wanting when he cynically halted a promising counter-attack, bringing down a Wales player and earning a yellow card for his troubles. Lashley soon joined him in the book, cautioned for dissent after belatedly being awarded a free kick, which ultimately came to nothing as the ensuing shot was blocked.
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