YMO FC’s goal poacher Rushin Abrahams seems to have rediscovered his appetite for goals when his hat-trick performance handed them a hard-fought 3-2 victory in blistery conditions over Antalyaspor JPM Cape Town at the Downberg Sports Complex on Saturday.
The former Silver Spurs striker, who fired blanks during their 0-3 defeat against Ashford Athletic in the opening match of the Third Division, definitely came back strong with his goalscoring prowess against the newbie to secure a first victory of the campaign for his side.
It was a game of two halves as the home side went into the break with a 2-0 lead. Antalyaspor, whom Wynberg St. Johns bought over, also squandered some good opportunities in the second half, which contributed to their demise.
Jordan Mack restored parity for the visitors with a second-half brace, but the day belonged to one man and one man only – Rooh, as Abrahams is called, who had the last laugh when he netted the winner deep into stoppage time
It was also Abrahams’ opening goal that got the tongues wagging when the nuggety striker found the back of the net with an overhead kick that was indeed fit for a “Puskas” award.
Abrahams relived the moment with No Bones with Jones what went through his mind. “The corner was overcooked, and it looked like it was going out of the (penalty) box on the far post. I was scampering after the ball as it was floating in the air. It was so high in the air, I knew that I couldn’t head the ball as I wouldn’t reach it.
The 31-year-old attacker further explained: “It’s then when instinct kicked in. I was fully stretched as I jumped in the air to try and make contact with the ball, just to pin it back in the penalty area for one of my teammates, while I was under pressure from the defender as well. In a split-second decision, I thought, why not try a bicycle-kick and see what happens.
“Low and behold, I connected sweetly to hit the back over in the direction it came from, over all the defenders and the keeper in the far post. Wow! It was magnificent if I have to say so myself, really. Seeing myself leaping so high in the air and watching the ball go into the net – it was really something else. But look, I’m just glad we got the three points as that is all that matters,” Abrahams concluded.
