Football: Sunkiss'd division one

Light Stars and Anse Réunion win, St Michel and La Passe in stalemate

LIGHT STARS collected their first three points in the Sunkiss'd division one League championship at the expense of lowly Sunshine Friday July 2 at Stad Linite on a 2-0 score. On Saturday July 3 at the same venue, Anse Réunion secured a 3-1 win against Northern Dynamo, while on La Digue, reigning league champions St Michel and La Passe shared the points in a goalless draw.

Friday's match between Light Stars and Sunshine lacked goal-mouth actions but the Mahe team were the first to threaten in the seventh minute through striker Robert Suzette.

Suzette, formerly with St Michel, pounced on a loose ball from midfield before firing across the face of goal.

Light Stars scored on their first real chance. Right winger Bernard Esther went on a slalom run on the right flank before playing a neat cross to Rwandan Magnifique Ndikumana whose first-time shot was fumbled by Sunshine goalie Philip Battin. The ball rolled back into play and Hugh Jeanne, who was at the right place at the right time, touched it home to give Light Stars a 1-0 lead.

The same Jeanne could have put Light Stars two goals up but keeper Battin pulled off a good save in the 43rd minute to deny him.

Light Stars, coached by former St Louis defender Davidson Marguerite, got a second goal in the first minute of the second half, courtesy of the industrious Magnifique.

Jeanne intelligently lobbed the advancing goalie Battin but to his disbelief, the ball hit the right post and bounced back into play. Magnifique was first to react to blast the ball into an empty net.

Trailing by two goals, Sunshine pressed a little harder on the accelerator in search of a consolation goal but they squandered their goal scoring chances. An 82nd minute goal by Andy Mougal was ruled out for offside.

Anse Réunion down Northern Dynamo

Following their brilliant display against St Michel last weekend during which they came out with a 2-2 draw, many thought that Northern Dynamo would give La Digue-based Anse Réunion a run for their money, but they couldn't.

From the word go, Northern Dynamo had their back against the wall with a lot of defending to do.

It took Anse Réunion 18 minutes to get the lead through Yelvanny Rose who slotted the ball past a bemused goalie Jules Monnaie with a shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Yelvanny Rose failed to give Anse Réunion a two-goal cushion in the 34th minute, hitting wide a Malagasy Firinga Fahidany square pass.

In the 41st minute, Anse Réunion's keeper Ricky Rose pulled off a top drawer save to tip a Colin Marie powerful header over the cross-bar.

Yelvanny Rose got his second goal in the 73rd minute, tucking home a Roderick Rose cross from the left wing.

Five minutes later, Colin Marie reduced the arrears following a mêlée in front of Anse Réunion's goal.

Substitute Juel Ah-Kong, who shot wide in the 86th minute from Andy Ernesta's long  pass, scored Anse Réunion's third goal in the dying minutes of the encounter.

Ah-Kong, who has had spells with both La Passe and former league champions Red Star, scored in an empty goal after pouncing on a mistake by goalie Monnaie, who inexplicably spilled the ball after having made a good save from Yelvanny Rose's shot.

C. J.