RECAP | Silverbacks 3, Eddies 1
FC Edmonton suffered its first defeat in the NASL Fall Season, falling, 3-1, against the Atlanta Silverbacks.
Silverbacks forward Jaime Chavez registered a brace and Shaka Bangura added a third goal right after second-half substitute Tomi Ameobi scored the lone Eddies goal.
The Eddies had the first chance on five minutes when midfielder Cristian Raudales fired off a long-range shot, but Silverbacks goalkeeper Steward Ceus tipped the ball over the net.
Atlanta answered back on 26 minutes, when defender Kosuke Kimura crossed the ball into the box for Pedro Mendes, but the striker could not connect in front of VanOekel’s net.
The Eddies nearly took the lead after midfielder Thiago de Freitas sent Frank Jonke on a breakaway with a perfectly-timed through ball, but Ceus tapped the ball away from Jonke as the striker tried to work around the ‘keeper.
Both teams headed into the half in a 0-0 deadlock.
Atlanta took a 1-0 lead four minutes into the second half when Mendes received a through ball into the box, shouldered off his mark and hit the post. Chavez received the rebound and tapped it in for the goal advantage.
Midfielder Ritchie Jones and Ameobi entered the pitch halfway through the half to make their Fall Season debuts after long absences due to injuries.
Chavez registered his second goal of the match on 66 minutes as the striker ran onto a ball over the Eddies defense and calmly finished to give Atlanta the 2-0 lead.
Defender Albert Watson and Ameobi combined in the 86th minute with a one-two that sent Ameobi into the box for a one-on-one against Ceus. The English striker then sent the ball to the bottom right corner to make it 2-1.
Right after the Eddies’ response, Bangura would register the Silverbacks’ third and final goal to steal three points at Clarke Field.
“I’m very happy to get [Ameobi] back in,” Miller said. “We have to regroup and get things ready for what will be a cracking game in Fort McMurray next Sunday.”
