A1 FC secure emphatic win in high scoring thriller
A1 FC 7 – 2 Cork County Council
Man of the Match: Promise Okafor
It was a mouth watering encounter in Passage as A1 FC hit seven to grab a huge win over Cork County Council in their Grandon’s Toyota Second Division clash to give their promotion hopes a significant boost, writes Donncha Noonan.
The game got off to a fast start with Cork County Council taking the lead after five minutes. A clearance from the A1 defence went straight to striker Robert Susek at the edge of the box. He took a touch before bending a shot brilliantly into the top right corner to give his side an early advantage.
A1 responded well and got an equaliser thirteen minutes later. Promise Okafor won the ball high up and slotted Charles Osayi through on goal. His shot was well saved by the keeper, but the rebound dropped to Okafor at the penalty spot, who released a deflected shot that nestled in the bottom left corner.
Buoyed by their goal, A1 continued to push and were rewarded with the lead in the twenty-eighth minute. A long ball over the top was hooked away by a Cork County Council defender. It fell to Marvin Ekhosuehi, who fought off challenges in midfield before driving a low shot into the bottom left corner to bring the game to 2-1.
Their lead only lasted a minute though, as Cork County Council got a second of their own. A dangerous free kick was parried by the keeper into the path of Michael Jennings. He knocked the ball towards goal, where Robert Susek arrived to push it home and grab his second of the game.
That was it for an action-packed first half, where both teams traded blows that ultimately led to a tie going into the break.
A1 came out of the break the better of the two sides, and it was proven in the fiftieth minute. Promise Okafor received the ball on the left hand side and penetrated into the box before being tripped by Billy Kelly to win a penalty. Okafor took it himself and buried it into the bottom left corner to notch his second goal.
A1 kicked on and quickly got themselves a two-goal cushion nine minutes later. Kamare Traore tricked everyone by drilling a corner low to the edge of the box for Promise Okafor. He ran onto it and hit a first time effort into the roof of the net to grab his hat trick.
They weren’t done there though as they managed to get a fifth in the eighty-sixth minute. Brilliant play from Raphael Olympia and Kamare Traore got the ball to Okafor in midfield, where he sent a ball through the defence releasing Traore. He met the ball and slipped it past the onrushing keeper to secure his side’s fifth of the game.
Traore capped off his performance with a second goal four minutes later. Marvin Ekhosuehi performed a nice turn in the centre of the park before whipping the ball wide to Traore. He saw the keeper off his line and bent it around him from long range in extraordinary fashion.
A1 had one more goal in them to round off their win two minutes into injury time. Ekhosuehi’s relentless pressing won him the ball off the Cork County Council defence. He sprinted towards goal before tucking the ball into the near corner to wrap up a stellar performance from his team.
That was all for this one as a huge Grandon’s Toyota second division clash ended in style, with what was a hugely vital win for A1 in their bid for promotion to the second tier.
A1 FC: U. Obi, A. Eleke, K. Traore, P. Tshimanga, P. Aribasoye, C. Osayi, P. Okafor, G. Villanyi, M. Ekhosuehi, V. Ewuzie, E. Abubakar, R. Olympio, M. Mavambu.
Cork County Council: L. Chowaniec, B. Kelly, E. Mohally, K. O’Regan, J. Moore, C. Galvin, M. Jennings, G. Sienicki, R. Susek, I. Georgiev, D. Brazil, J. Hayes, R. Murphy, E. Mbudinma, T. Clery, S. Abu Saad.
