El-Merriekh SC Bentiu continued their preparations for the South Sudan Premier League with a 3-0 victory over Viva Star FC Juba in a friendly match, at the Bulluk Playground on Wednesday morning.
El-Merriekh took a 1-0 lead into half-time, with Issa Zarbo heading home from a free-kick after poor marking from Viva Star defender Siro.
The second half saw Viva Star create several clear goalscoring opportunities as they looked for an equaliser. However, a lack of concentration in front of goal prevented the Juba-based side from finding the breakthrough.
Dimitri Anthony, Yugusuk and other Viva Star players were presented with opportunities, but they were unable to convert their chances.
El-Merriekh, meanwhile, remained clinical and took advantage of further mistakes from their opponents.
Their second goal came after a misplaced pass in midfield was intercepted, with the resulting ball played behind the Viva Star defence before being converted.
The Pride of Bentiu then added a third after Viva Star captain Lawrence Otti's pass was intercepted during the build-up, allowing El-Merriekh to punish another costly error.
David Toto and Maliah Pitnyang were also on the scoresheet, as El-Merriekh completed the 3-0 victory.
The friendly serves as another important preparation match for El-Merriekh ahead of the South Sudan Premier League. The Bentiu side drew their opening two league matches and will be looking to improve their results as the campaign continues.
Viva Star FC, meanwhile, are using the match as part of their preparations for the upcoming Juba Football Association First Division League.
FULL-TIME
🇸🇸 El-Merriekh SC Bentiu 3-0 Viva Star FC Juba
Half-time: El-Merriekh 1-0 Viva Star
Issa Zarbo
David Toto
Maliah Pitnyang
