Football: Bangabandhu Gold Cup 2020 |21 January 2020
Stalemate in Indian Ocean derby as Seychelles book spot in the semis
Seychelles let slip a two-goal half-time lead in their last group match yesterday to draw 2-2 with Mauritius but have still qualified for the semifinals of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup which is taking place in Bangladesh.
Before the Indian Ocean derby, both teams were pointless following defeats against Burundi, the third team in the group.
Seychelles lost 1-3 to Burundi on Saturday, while The Swallows beat Mauritius 4-1.
It all started well for coach Ralph Jean-Louis’ boys when Gervais Waye-Hive put them ahead in the 19th minute from a Perry Monnaie assist. Monnaie then turned from provider to scorer as he doubled the team’s lead in the 28th minute, giving them a 2-0 cushion at half-time.
Not wanting to lose the match against one of their biggest rivals, Mauritius kept pushing forward and in the 67th minute, Jason Ferre reduced the score for the Dallons with a nicely executed header from a corner.
The Mauritian goal seemed to have messed up coach Jean-Louis’ tactics and to make matters worse, Juninho Mathiot received his marching orders in the 83rd minute, following his second yellow card.
Seychelles managed to hold on in defence until in added time when Adrien François clumsily slotted the ball past goalkeeper Ian Ah-Kong right in front the Seychellois defenders to seal the match at two goals apiece.
The draw put Seychelles second overall behind leaders Burundi.
Both Seychelles and Mauritius have collected one point after a draw and a defeat each. Seychelles finished with a goal difference of -2 (3 goals four and 5 against), while Mauritius finished with -3 (3 goals four and 6 against).
In the semifinal, Seychelles will now meet defending champions Palestine who finished first in group A, while in the other last-four match group B winners Burundi will play against hosts Bangladesh who finished as runners-up in group A.
Mauritius and Sri Lanka are out of the competition.
Roland Duval
