X-Roads 4 Social Club 3

Jamin Furbert’s extra-time winner sent X-Roads through to the Shield final at Bernard Park today.

Ahria Simons’s ambitious drive from outside of the area early in the second period of extra time took a wicked deflection off of Furbert’s head before the ball crossed the line.

The goal was a cruel twist for Social Club who dominated possession, carved out more chances and were clearly the better team on the day.

“It was a tremendous game and extremely competitive,” Farid El Karfa, the X-Roads coach, said. “Social Club are a very good team and it wasn’t easy to beat them.

“The game was very competitive and we had the brilliance to finish it off with Jamin’s header.”

X-Roads came out firing on all cylinders and jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.

Jorge Sanchez, the midfielder, broke the deadlock in the sixth minute when he headed home Rico Beek’s cross from the left side.

Social Club’s vulnerability defending crosses was exploited again six minutes later as Travis Boyles nodded in Simons’s cross to double X-Roads’s lead.

Social Club finally got a foothold in the match when Robert Rawlins, the striker, turned in Zeiko Lewis’s cross.

However, Beek restored X-Roads’s two-goal advantage from the penalty spot after Boyles was fouled in the area.

Social Club shaved the deficit in half right on the stroke of half-time after Cory Burgess planted a 20-yard free kick inside the far corner.

Social Club took charge in the second half and pinned their opponents in their own half for long spells.

Lewis went close with a header that flew past the near post shortly after his team had a confident appeal for a penalty fall on deaf ears.

In a rare attack at the other end, Saki Tuzo, the Social Club goalkeeper, scrambled off his line to thwart Daniel Barker, the X-Roads striker.

That proved to be Tuzo’s last act between the posts as he came out of goal to play the remainder of the match up front alongside his nephew Lewis.

The tactical decision was indeed a smart one as Tuzo linked up nicely with Lewis and with better finishing could have easily won the game.

Social Club’s relentless pressure finally took its toll in the 81st minute when Lewis capitalised on poor defending to draw the teams level. The unmarked forward latched onto a loose rebound in the box and after creating just enough space for himself drilled his shot into the back of the net.

Social Club squandered two glorious chances to win the match in the closing minutes.

Tuzo just failed to get his head to Burgess’s precision free kick in the area and then had a shot blocked by Dashun Cooper, the X-Roads goalkeeper, after Lewis sent his uncle clear.

Social Club continued to dominate possession in the opening period of extra time with Tuzo heading Lewis’s free kick over before the latter chipped over from the edge of the box.

These missed opportunities ultimately came back to haunt Social Club as X-Roads regained the lead for good through Furbert’s deflected goal on a counter attack and then held on to reach the New Year’s Day final.