Kingston College
McNamee Sports Media
Former champions Kingston College produced a five-star performance to open the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Digicel Manning Cup quarterfinal round in commanding fashion as they blanked Tivoli High 5-0, while reigning champions Mona High and Jamaica College played out a 1-1 stalemate in the Group A double-header at Stadium East on Friday.
A brace from Damaine Smith (3rd and 19th) and one each from Matrim Martin (32nd), Kamaul Patterson (45+3) and Deshawn Byfield (51st) got the job done for Kingston College in the lopsided feature contest.
Meanwhile in the curtain-raiser, Sean Leighton’s 35th-minute strike for Mona High was cancelled out by Jamaica College’s captain Dyllan John, who converted a 65th-minute penalty to secure his team a share of the spoils.
With the result, Kingston College took command of the group on three points, while Jamaica College and Mona trail with a point each. Tivoli will have to play catch up from the foot of the four-team standing.
Kingston College were always favoured to take three points off Tivoli High, and they did so with consummate ease in what was a showcase of their offensive prowess and defensive strength as they overwhelmed the opponents from start to finish.
The famed purples wasted little time to break the deadlock as Smith got on the end of a weighted pass and easily fired past Daniel Bailey in goal for Tivoli High.
Their precise passing and tactical awareness kept Tivoli on the back foot, and it was another of those passes from the back that sent Smith on his way to complete his brace with another simple finish.
That brace set the tone for what would be a long and arduous game for Tivoli High, who soon found themselves 3-0 down when Shareef Ricketts’ weighted corner kick picked out Martin at the far post and the Guyanese made no mistakes from goalmouth.
Struggling to find any answer to the waves of attacks that Kingston College unleashed, the West Kingston team were left visibly demoralized as another weighted freekick from Ricketts eluded defenders and Patterson capitalised at the far post to make it 4-0 at the break.
The second half saw no reprieve for Tivoli High, as Kingston College continued to drive forward with confidence and added to their tally six minutes in when Byfield fired home after Smith’s effort burst through the hands of the hapless Bailey.
Tivoli High tried to play their game when Kingston College eased up a bit, but their offensive efforts were always easily thwarted by the North Street-based team’s backline long before they posed any real threat.
Kingston College’s Head coach, Vassell Reynolds, praised his players for their discipline and focus.
“We really wanted to get three points today because that put us in good stead to push on for the remainder of this round, and I thought the boys responded well and did pretty well. So I am pretty satisfied with our conversion rate and the overall performance,” Vassell said in a post-game interview.
Tivoli’s assistant coach, Lance DaCosta, believes a lapse in concentration resulted in the loss but backed his team to bounce back against Mona and Jamaica College.
“I think we struggled defensively; we made too many errors, and they cost us. At this stage we should be more mature and more focused, but we just have to motivate them and try to win our next two games to advance,” he said.
Earlier in what was one of the season’s most anticipated clashes, Mona forced the initiative and camped out in Jamaica College’s quarters in the early exchanges. They took a few cracks at target, which tested Taywane Lynch, but the Jamaica College custodian proved equal to the task on each occasion.
Jamaica College eventually found their footing in attack and thought they had the go-ahead goal in the 28th when Giovanni Taylor fired home from close range, but it was controversially called back for an offside.
Mona eventually grabbed the ascendancy when Leighton finished his fifth goal of the season with aplomb after Robino Gordon’s effort was saved to make it 1-0 at the break.
However, Jamaica College pulled level five minutes past the hour mark when John fired home from the 12-yard spot after being awarded a controversial penalty.
Friday’s results
Mona 1, Jamaica College 1
Kingston College 5, Tivoli High 0
St Catherine 3, Campion College 0
Hydel vs Excelsior (Postponed)
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Bayern Munich 4-2 Heidenheim: Musiala stars as leaders pull further ahead
Jamal Musiala came off the bench to score twice as Bundesliga leaders defeated visitors Heidenheim 4-2 to maintain their unbeaten start.
Vincent Kompany's side, who suffered a 1-0 cup defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, were without the injured Harry Kane, Manuel Neuer and Serge Gnabry for the home contest.
And the Bavarians got off to a good start when an unmarked Dayot Upamecano headed in the opener in the 19th minute.
But Upamecano's defensive error five minutes into the second half allowed Mathias Honsak to latch on to his poor back pass and fire past Daniel Peretz to make it 1-1.
However, Musiala, introduced straight after that goal, took just five minutes to make an impact as the 21-year-old's low drive from the edge of the box restored Bayern's lead.
Another Bayern substitute, Leon Goretzka, then added a third with a deflected shot in the 84th minute before Heidenheim pulled a goal back through a Niclas Doresch tap-in.
Musiala then settled the nerves for the hosts as he ran onto a through ball from his own half before scoring in the stoppage time to make it 4-2 with his eighth league goal of the season.
The result sees Bayern extend their lead at the top to six points over second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, while Heidenheim remain in 16th place.
Data Debrief: Bayern can't stop scoring
Bayern Munich have now scored in each of their last 20 games in the Bundesliga, scoring an incredible 57 goals during that run.
They are also the only side to have scored in each of the 13 games in the German top-flight this season.
Kompany's side, who are unbeaten after 13 games in the Bundesliga, have now matched their last joint longest unbeaten streak, which ran from May 2023 to November 2023.
Heidenheim, meanwhile, have lost five games on the trot now - their longest losing streak in the league since at least the 2004/2005 season.
Reggae Boyz and West Ham's striker Michail Antonio involved in motor vehicle accident
Jamaica's Reggae Boy and West Ham United striker, Michail Antonio, was involved in a road traffic accident on Saturday, the Premier League club confirmed in a statement.
“The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the club are with Michail, his family, and friends at this time," West Ham said in a brief message shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Details regarding the severity of the incident remain unclear, with the club promising to provide further updates in due course.
"West Ham United can confirm striker Michail Antonio has today been involved in a road traffic accident. The club will issue an update in due course," the statement read.
The news has sparked concern among fans and the footballing community, with many offering their own messages of support for the player, who has been a key figure for both club and country.
As more information becomes available, supporters of the 34-year-old forward, known for his contributions on and off the field, will be hoping for a positive outcome.
Gimenez a doubt for Sevilla clash, says Atletico boss Simeone
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has revealed Jose Maria Gimenez could be a doubt for his side's LaLiga meeting with Sevilla on Sunday.
The 29-year-old suffered an ankle injury in training on Friday and Simeone said he will take a late call on the defender's involvement in the home contest.
Gimenez has been a bedrock in defence as Atletico go into the game on the back of four consecutive victories in the Spanish top flight. They have also won eight in a row across all competitions.
"We'll see," Simeone said when asked about an update on Gimenez.
"When he wakes up [on Sunday], he'll say he's ready to play because we know him. From there, we'll assess."
Gimenez has appeared in all but two of their 15 LaLiga matches this season, with Simeone's side third with 32 points.
Atletico defeated Cacereno 3-1 in the second round of Copa del Rey on Thursday and they have now scored 14 goals and conceded just once in their last three matches.
"There are always different moments in the season and now we are trying to take care of the run we have," Simeone said ahead of the Sevilla clash.
Ahead of the meeting in Madrid, Simeone was also full of praise for Rodrigo De Paul, who has one goal and three assists in the league.
"He has absolutely everything, and he has shown it in recent games," the Atletico boss said.
"He competes in all the arenas, whether it is the Champions League or the cup, as he should and as the people of Atleti want.
"He knows what the fans expect from him, and hopefully he can maintain this level because he has what it takes. We are going to demand the maximum from him because he occupies a position that requires a lot of demands."
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