By S. Siapha Mulbah
A 79th-minute strike from the leg of Emmanuel King Sieh completed the job for Paynesville-based Watanga Football Club at a point of need, to confirm their second National First Division Championship in the last three years.
Sieh could no longer tolerate the pressure setup from the cheering squad after more than three quarters of the match when Watanga took on the Liberia Shipping and Cooperate Registry (LISCR) Football Club yesterday, April 3, 2024 at the Two United Sports Associations (TUSA) field in Gardnerville, to climax the team’s quest of becoming the champions of the topflight for the 2023/2024 league season.
He expediently used a corner kick pattern to receive the ball from Prince Kenedy and made his way through the opponent’s defense to have the fans running into the wildest celebration they could, when Liberian international goalkeeper, Tommy Sango for the Shipping Boys, could not stop the magical strike that resulted in the lone goal of the match.
The youngster had been outstanding throughout the season, especially for Watanga, who loaned him at the start of the ongoing league. On the goal front, Sieh is considered by sports pundits as one of the best prospects of Liberian football, judging from his performance when called by Junior Lone Star to participate in international youth competitions.
The soon-to-be-crowned champions, Watanga, took on defending champions LISCR in the first of both teams’ remaining three matches, topping the table and needing only a draw to end the point-tallying process of the league, while the Shippers needed to win and reduce the gap to further delay their opponents’ celebration.
At the start of the second half, both teams got back to the pitch with higher anticipation and more vigor to achieve, but it was observed that Watanga’s intent of getting a win was just glaring through the display of the ball.
In less than five minutes, LISCR defense was forced to concede a penalty following a threat posed to them by the coordination of Emmanuel Sieh, Chauncy Freeman, Varney Sando, and Farsedu Logan.
The entire stand of the stadium rose to the occasion of marking the first goal on 49 minutes, but a missed kick from Farsedu Logan saw the ball from the spot hitting the wood work and cleared away for a corner kick.
The goal scored by Watanga against LISCR in the matchday 24 fixture of the topflight showed a new dawn for the Paynesville family to have one of their most organized teams win the national league two times in three years, while the fastest growing club, Paynesville FC, is poised to take on Invincible Eleven in the final of the Football Association Cup.
According to multi sources within the football association, the crowning ceremony of the club as champions and Liberia’s representative to the upcoming 2024/2025 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions league will be held next Sunday, April 7, 2024 at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex Practice Pitch, the home ground of Watanga.
