MONROVIA, Montserrado – The quarterfinals of the National County Sports Meet have come to end with the defending champions, Grand Bassa, failing to secure a place in the semifinals.
Margibi ended Bassa’s dream of becoming the first county to win the football title three times after a decisive 1-0 defeat on the final day of Group B’s quarterfinals matches.
Lester Boyd’s 39th minute goal was enough to hand Margibi their second win in five matches in the competition. Having drawn both of their preliminary matches, Margibi finished as runner-up to Lofa County with two points. Following a goalless draw with Nimba in their first quarterfinal, they overcame Lofa 2-0 to grab their first win.
Margibi’s Lester Boyd. Photo: T. Kla Wesley Jr.
With four points in two games, Margibi needed at least a draw in the match against Bassa to reach the semifinal, while Bassa – with two points in their two previous quarterfinals games – needed a win to get a place in the semifinals.
However, it was Margibi that proved superior. Bassa actually had two goals erased in the second half due to offside penalties. With its three points secured, Margibi advanced to the semifinals with seven points from three games to top Group B.
Meanwhile, preliminary hero Lofa was thrown out of the county meet after suffering their second quarterfinal defeat. The Lofians’ hopes of playing in the semifinals were squashed after a humiliating 3-0 loss to Nimba.
After a boring first half, Nimba returned from the break with three goals to book a semifinal spot thanks to two goals from the competition’s top goal scorer, Mark Yallah, and a goal from Daniel Tuazama.
Yallah started the scoring for Nimba in the fourth minute with a header before doubling the lead in the 55th minute off an assist from Tuazama.
Nimba’s Mark Yallah. Photo: T. Kla Wesley Jr
With the score at 2-0, the match turned into a practice session for Nimba, as they dominated the remaining minutes with a majority of the possession. The score was bumped to 3-0 in the 69th minute with a goal from Tuazama, who collected a brilliant volley from Ivin Gbotoe and scored with a close range blast.
With a win and two draws, Nimba advanced to the semifinals with five points from three games, two points behind the group winner, Margibi.
Featured photo by T. Kla Wesley, Jr.
