Abraham and Lazarus lead Lions home
FOOTBALL MACCABI London Lions crushed Brady Maccabi A’s double hopes with a 2-0 victory in the final of the Henry Swerner Cup.
League champions Brady went into the match after clinching the MMFL title four days earlier, but they found the Lions in determined mood at Silver Jubilee Park.
This match proved much more physical, with referee Martin Fox producing a number of yellow cards. Chances were few and far between in a first half where the highlight was a spectacular save by Lions’ goalkeeper Trevor Racke.
Lions asserted their superiority in the second half and they took the lead when Brady failed to clear a corner and Michael Abrahams was on hand to convert.
Bradley Lazarus then produced a moment of real quality with a sublime curling free kick that sailed into the top right-hand corner.
Brady rallied, hitting the inside of a post but Lions were resolute in defence and saw the game out comfortably to retain the trophy.
The Peter Moss man-of-the-match award was presented to Lions’ centreback Peter Lazard by League chairman and founder Stuart Lustigman, who now retires after 20 seasons in charge.
In his programme message, Lustigman wrote: “The MMFL is not only about football but also about Jewish identity and serving the community. I’m very proud to have been part of that process for the past 20 years.”
Marshside came from a goal down to beat Brady Maccabi B in the Maccabi Masters League. Scott Ansher opened the scoring for Brady in a first half they dominated, and only the brilliance of Marshside goalkeeper Ed Saleh kept the east Londoners in the game.
Saleh’s efforts were rewarded when Fara Moghim equalised and secondhalf goals from Jon Cohen and Moghim sealed the win to lift Marshside off the bottom of the table. FOOTBALL