Pre-tournament favourites Akademiks and Phoenix UFO Toyota Fire House have predictably reached Friday’s final of the second LIME Pelican Football Challenge.
But both teams were taken to the wire before emerging victorious after what many fans reckoned were the awarding of two contentious penalties.
Akademiks won 2-0 over a determined T.S. Strikers while Fire House triumphed 2-1 in extra time over Indar Weir Barbados Steel Works Top Bay Settlers.
Fire House will now be desperately hoping that their captain and inspirational attacking midfielder Norman Forde can somehow recover from a leg injury to play in the final which is slated to begin at 8:30 p.m. on Independence Day.
Forde, who was substituted, had to be lifted into the Garfield Sobers Pavilion, while Paul Lovell is also nursing a hamstring strain.
Ricky Barnes and midfielder Kemar Bartlett also seem to be carrying niggling injuries.
“We have a lot of injured players but we are hoping to be ready for the final. Our fitness is a key worry now so we just need to get some rest for the rest of the whole week but I think it will be good game,” Lovell told MIDWEEK SPORT.
Akademiks’ two-goal semi-final hero Arantees Lawrence is also looking forward to the final.
“I feel it will be a good final. We have been putting in a lot of hard work and there is also good love as the new players came in and have gelled under the management of Santia Bradshaw and Wayne Jones,” he said.
The final will be preceded by the third-place match at 4:30 p.m. between Top Bay Settlers and T.S. Strikers, while Queen’s College will meet Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic in the Schools Under-19 final at 6:30 p.m. (EZS)