North Village 5

Southampton Rangers 2

North Village advanced to the semi-finals of the Friendship Trophy yesterday, though the score flattered the home side, who trailed Southampton Rangers for more than an hour.

Village were two minutes away from being eliminated when Keishen Bean, their captain, popped up with a crucial equaliser to send the match into extra time.

The home side then struck three times against a Rangers team who lost their cool as well as the game.

Rangers finished the game with nine men after some of the decisions made by Anthony Bailey, the referee, frustrated them in the second half.

Keedai Astwood was sent off for foul and abusive language towards an assistant referee in the 76th minute, and in the second half of extra time Keimon Simons, the defender, picked up his second booking of the game.

Through it all Village kept their cool and kept pressing forward. For an hour they were chasing the game after Vernon Perinchief gave the visitors the lead with a brilliant free kick.

Sean Perinchief then wasted a good chance to double the lead for Rangers just before half-time, when his volley from a good position inside the box rolled past the far post.

Village started to impose themselves more early in the second half as Bean’s shot on the turn inside the box missed the far post. Then, Keston Lewis dragged a left-footed shot wide after Bean set him up inside the box.

It wasn’t until the 61st minute when Rangers doubled their lead that Village got the wake-up call. A long throw into the box saw Shaki Swan create the opening, before laying the ball off to Ezekiel Stoneham who turned and smashed home his shot from close range.

Village quickly responded with a well-taken goal by Shayne Hollis from the edge of the box, and a double substitution soon after also give them an extra lift as Pierre Smith and teenager Enyche Zuill came on for Keston Lewis and Demetre Daniels.

With the game now hanging in the balance, Rangers suffered a setback when Astwood was sent off for directing abuse towards the assistant referee, leaving Rangers to survive with ten men.

However, Village piled on the pressure in the final few minutes, and after Smith had wasted a golden opportunity by shooting wide, he made amends by setting up his captain who made no mistake with the goal at his mercy.

Village blew away their opponents after that, scoring three times as Rangers lost their composure and had another player sent off. Zuill scored what turned out to be the winning goal three minutes into the first half of extra time when a perfect left-footed chip into the box by Bean enabled him to steer a free header into an open goal.

Jason Lee made it 4-2 nine minutes into the second half of extra time, racing onto a ball down the middle, before rounding the goalkeeper and tucking it home from a narrow angle.

Hollis then put the shine on Village’s fightback when he scored his second goal a minute into stoppage time from an acute angle.