Non-League and Academy football writer

After losing their opening Middlesex County Football League Premier Division fixture of the season 8-1 at home to FH Whistlers on Saturday, LBS Lions hosted a Sporting Duet side on Thursday evening at Club Des Sports, who had also lost their opening league fixture to the same side, on the previous Saturday. Sporting Duet would win this match 3-1, to record their first league win of the 2026/27 season.

Both teams were moving the ball around well during the opening minutes of the game, and there was a good pace to this game. But, around 20 minutes in to Thursday’s match and it was Sporting Duet who would take the lead. A really well worked and a nice passage of play would result in Daniel Lloyd Pennant passing the ball forward to Emanuel Arber down the left flank. He would whip a low cross into the centre of the home team’s penalty area, finding William Puvanesan, who would cleverly and deftly flick the ball on the volley, into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 0-1. However, the visiting team’s lead didn’t last very long, with LBS Lions responding soon afterwards.

For that equalising goal for LBS Lions, Dominic Ocaka would do some good work with the ball down the left-hand side of the Sporting Duet box, before then playing the ball across to Andrei Pogan, in the centre of the box. On the stretch and under pressure, the 2024/25 Middlesex League top goalscorer would finish low into the goal beyond the goalkeeper, 1-1. Sporting Duet would show a good reaction as a team to conceding that goal. And after really pushing to retake the lead before half-time, two goals in quick succession would result in them establishing a good two goal cushion.

For their second goal of the evening, the impressive Daniel Lloyd Pennant would play a corner-kick short to a teammate, before receiving the ball again himself straight after, on the edge of the LBS penalty area. From a difficult angle, Daniel Lloyd Pennant would curl a perfect effort into the top left-hand corner of goalkeeper Eduardo Ciriaco’s goal, 2-1. Then soon after play had resumed, following a decent Sporting move into the home team’s box, a chance would arrive. With Omoseni Annon getting to the ball after an LBS Lions had just been able to clear the ball away. With the Sporting Duet number 8 finishing low, with little time to react, into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 1-3. 

Right on the stroke of half-time LBS Lions came desperately close to getting a goal back in the game, following Antonio Deccache’s floated free-kick delivery into the Sporting box. However, LBS Lions were just unable, on a couple of occasions, to get the ball over Leo Mandl’s goal-line. As the Sporting goalkeeper was then able to gather the ball just in time. On to the second half, and despite Sporting having started the second half well, it was LBS Lions who came the closest to scoring the next goal of the game, early on. As Andrei Pogan’s clever cushioned lay-off inside the Sporting box, saw Antonio Deccache hit a first time effort narrowly wide of the goal.

Some time later during the second half, and after Tobias Fromme had fouled William Puvanesan inside the LBS penalty area, a penalty was awarded by the referee to Sporting. Up stepped William Puvanesan, whose low effort on goal from the penalty spot was well saved and kept out by Eduardo Ciriaco. And the LBS goalkeeper would then make a spectacular reflex save to keep out Mohamed Mohamed’s effort on the follow-up and from close range. That was already the second penalty save of Eduardo Ciriaco’s season.

Another really clever move from a very well organised Sporting side with great movement off the ball, would lead to Daniel Lloyd Pennant starting a move and then receiving the ball again, on the edge of the LBS box. His resulting effort on goal was well saved by saved by Eduardo Ciriaco, who also did well to keep out Mohamed Mohamed’s effort on the follow-up and from close range. Around ten seconds later, Sporting substitute Mustapha Ghardiane would power a really good low effort on goal, from 23 yards out. Which would connect with the inside of Eduardo Ciriaco’s right-hand post, before then going clear. And then in what was the final chance of the game, from the left-hand side of the LBS box, Mustapha Ghardiane’s powerfully hit effort on goal was superbly saved by Eduardo Ciriaco. In the end though, the game would deservedly finish 3-1 to Sporting Duet.

There was constantly a good pace to this match, between two impressive footballing sides. But, it was a deserved win for Sporting Duet, who will be looking to build on a great debut season at this level. My LBS player of the match was their goalkeeper, Eduard Ciriaco. With special mentions going to Albie Cozens and Dominic Ocaka for their respective performances. For my overall player of the match award, Sporting Duet players Omoseni Annon, William Puvanesan and the highly instrumental Daniel Lloyd Pennant were all contenders. And it was Daniel Lloyd Pennant who is named as my player of the match this evening. The Sporting number 10 was very good and effective on the ball, being involved in two of the away team’s goals.

Starting line-ups/match-day squads:

LBS Lions:

(1) Eduardo Ciriaco

(2) Michele Rinchiuso

(4) Rohan Jhaveri

(12) Jeremy Julius

(27) Marcelio Souza Junior 

(6) Antonio Deccache

(36) Albie Cozens 

(25) Dominic Ocaka

(11) Arthur Lutyens

(28) Jose Gabriel Negoceki

(9) Andrei Pogan 

(18) Filip Diakonowicz

(19) Dominic Krummenahcer

(26) Tobias Fromme

(20) Guilherme Silva

(32) Rukky Oghenerukevwe Erhijakpor

Sporting Duet:

(1) Leo Mandl

(4) Raid Ben Abdeljelil

(19) Antonio Hanna Amodio

(14) Ahmed Cherif

(10) Daniel Lloyd Pennant 

(3) Emanuel Arber 

(16) Julian Restrepo

(9) William Puvanesan 

(12) Adam Patel

(8) Omoseni Annon

(20) Mohamed Mohamed 

(21) Mustapha Ghardiane 

(6) Maxime Touze

(5) Omar Khalil

(19) Issa Bahar