Lion restore hope, Benfica fade

 André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Humble Lion yesterday gave themselves a fighting chance for Digicel Premier League survival, while Benfica are staring down the barrel of relegation - one step closer to returning from whence they came - after yesterday's round of action invol-ving the teams in the league's bottom six.

Humble Lion muscled their way to 40 points after their crucial 2-1 victory over neighbours Sporting Central Academy (46 points) - who are already assured of a place in the league next year - at Brancourt, to ensure that they will live to fight another round, with two games left to be played in the nation's top league.

Omando McLeod scored a first-minute goal for the visitors, before Levaughn Williams managed an equaliser for Sporting before half-time. The experienced Kevin Mighty kept Humble Lion in the hunt with the winner shortly after the hour mark, after slicing through the Sporting Central backline before unleashing a wicked shot into the back of the net.

At Frome, Benfica gave up the ghost to a 70th-minute strike from the league's leading goalscorer, Craig Foster, as Reno moved closer to safety with a 1-0 victory, pushing their tally to 44 points. Foster was picking up his 12th league goal of the season.

The result leaves the St Ann-based Benfica firmly rooted in the cellar position on 37 points, and with a goal difference of minus 24 they are, in essence, just one loss or draw away from being demoted.

St Georges (45 points) kept Humble Lion at bay and continue to work towards their survival with an all-important 2-0 win over Arnett Gardens (44), who must now look over their shoulders as the league gets set to enter the penultimate round.

In the game at St Georges' Lynch Park, Donovan Davis (39th) and Girvan Brown (48th) provided the goals for the Portlanders, who were posting their second win in three games.