Seychelles’ girls’ football team narrowly missed out on a historic CJSOI gold medal, falling 2-3 to Mayotte in a dramatic final group-stage encounter yesterday. The result meant Seychelles had to settle for silver, despite entering the match with a slight psychological edge.
Having already defeated Mauritius in their opening match, the Seychellois side knew that even a draw against Mayotte would have been enough to secure the elusive gold. Mauritius had earlier upset Mayotte, creating a three-way battle for the title — one that would ultimately be decided by goal difference.
Seychelles looked well in the fight and twice found the net through rising star Persia Moustache, who emerged as the team’s standout performer and sole goalscorer throughout the tournament. Her brace against Mayotte took her tournament tally to three goals, being also the scorer of the winning goal against Mauritius.
With the score tied at 2-2 late in the game, Seychelles’ gold medal hopes were dashed when they conceded a late penalty, which Mayotte converted to seal a 3-2 victory. That result handed the gold to Mauritius, who finished top of the round-robin group on goal difference, as each of the three teams ending with three points.
It was a cruel end to an otherwise spirited campaign for the Seychellois girls, who did enough to walk away with their heads held high, despite the worst possible finish on the podium, and from getting so close to claiming gold. The silver is nonetheless a major achievement, marking one of the best performances in recent years for Seychelles in girls’ football at the CJSOI Games.
