Bissa won a penalty shootout for the second time in the ongoing Zongo Intertribal Gala in an evening of high drama in the Kanda Cluster of Schools, overcoming Grushi to secure a Quarter-Final meeting with Guruma.
Amid a fevered atmosphere inside the Kanda Cluster of Schools Park, goalkeeper Seth Dabre scored the winning kick after he had saved two of Grushi’s.
Both sides had missed a penalty in the shootout before Grushi missed their fourth to bring Bissa back to the lead.
Bissa had scored in their first two kicks after Seth Dabre had saved Grushi’s first in Monday’s encounter.
But Grushi came back on level ground to score their when following two as Bissa lost their third.
And Bissa would score their last two while Grushi’s loss of their fourth became their bane for their defeat.
The Kulungungu natives will have taken a lot out of themselves in this physically gruelling and mentally taxing second group game game and they now face the well-organised and resilient Guruma.
Grushi struggled to cope with their opponents’ pace and movement, but Manager Saani Mohammed Bansi’s men failed to take their chances, despite dominating possession and creating more clear-cut openings in a contest that was full of end-to-end action.
Grushi made their intentions clear from the start with scary attacks.
But Bissa lived on the edge in those physical exchanges, but the manner in which they survived and came through that test will add an extra layer of satisfaction.
And a final victory had looked unlikely for most of the 90 minutes, as near misses and great saves from both keepers added a scintillating feel to the game.
Bansi’s boys cast off the clouds of dread that have come over them in previous tournaments, a psychological lift that may yet help them further down the line.
And deep into injury time, they survived a test of nerve that will prove invaluable as they drive deeper into the tournament after an evening of noise, color, and tribal unity at Kanda Park.