By S. Siapha Mulbah
The Liberia Under 17 team kicked off the 2023 Mano River Union Peace Cup with a resounding 6-2 victory over neighboring Sierra Leone, courtesy of goals from Fallah Johnson, Emmanuel Sieh (brace), Jerious Holmes (brace), and Kindness Cole.
At the Tusa Field Sports Stadium in Gardnersville, Wednesday, December 27, 2023, the young Lone Star welcomed their opponents in the first match of the tournament of four fixtures, with striking a huge first blow and grabbing the bragging rights over the visitors.
With a team of well-organized young professionals, an entertaining first half ensued, as Fallah Johnson of the Liberia Shipping and Corporate Registry (LISCR) Football Club opened the scoring for Liberia in the 20th minute.
Six minutes later, Watanga Football Club youth striker, Emmanuel King Sieh, extended the lead with a powerful finish that dampened the visitors’ hope of getting a meaningful result.
The Sierra Leonean youth team (Leone Star U17), however, took some courage and began to mount more pressure on Liberia, with the acknowledgement that there were more minutes to have the ball in play. Their intense pressure in the last minutes of the first half, resulted in a goal to half the deficit, after a Liberian defender took goalkeeper Onesimus Beyan off the ball to unwittingly score an own-goal on 42 minutes. The own goal set the score at 2-1 for Lone Star before the break.
Early in the second half, substitute, Jerious Holmes of the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company (LPRC) Oilers, added more hype to the Peace Cup encounter with a 47th minute header. The lad had played just two minutes in the match, with less than three touches on the ball registering his name on the score sheet for the home side’s third goal, restoring their two-goal cushion.
The visitors, after several substitutions, were not resourceful with their own chances. Emmanuel Sieh then found the back of the net for the second time to secure his brace when the match clocked 51 minutes, but the celebration short-lived as the visitors cleverly converted a set-piece inches away from the 18-yard box.
However, Jerious Holmes again finished a pass from Prince Mantor to extend Liberia’s lead. What became the emotional moment was the final goal scored by Mighty Barrolle youngster, Kindness Cole, who subsequently won the King of the Match award.
Cole, after several attempts on goal, managed to weave through the opponents’ defense to hit the net, and seized the moment to celebrate with his mother and other relatives in the stands.
The competition runs from December 28 to 31, 2023 with four matches between the two rivals. The best winner of the four matches will be crowned champion of the 2023 MRU Men Peace Cup Under 17 Tournament.
Meanwhile, Selamawit Kebede has bagged her first win in three games as head coach of the Liberia National Women’s Team.
Kebede lost her first two matches against Cape Verde, following her appointment by the Liberia Football Association.
Liberia defeated Malema Queens, a Sierra Leonean Club Team, 2-1 at the Kanema Mini Stadium, in an international friendly on Wednesday, December 27, 2023.
Goals from Cynthia Weah of Shaita Angels Football Club and Jessica Quachie of Real Muja Football Club ensured a come-back win for Liberia, having conceded early in the first half.
The girls will be back in action on Saturday, December 30, with their last friendly against the same club, to complete the preparational and developmental programming activity with the team.
