Watanga Seals LFA Top Flight League Championship

By: Roland James

The race for the championship of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) top-flight league, the Orange National First Division League, has come to a dramatic ending following the high dominance of Watanga FC in clinching the championship title over the weekend.

Coach Cooper Sannah's boys secured the LFA 2023-2024 top-flight league championship in an eye-catching encounter against defending champions, LISCR FC on April 3, which saw Watanga FC winning their second league title in three years. 

The Tusa Field in Gardnersville on April 3, 2024, was a center stage of attraction when 17-year-old Emmanuel Sieh fired in a right-footed strike beating Goalkeeper Tommy Songo to give Watanga FC a deserving 0-1 away league victory over LISCR FC.

Coach Cooper Sannah's side which needed at least a point against LISCR did everything possible to move beyond by collecting all three points and sparing two games to clinch the championship title.

In bold supremacy, Watanga FC on Sunday in their championship crowning match came from a goal down to subdue City Rivals Paynesville FC to a deserving 3-1 home victory at the SKD Practice Pitch in Paynesville City.

H. Dan Weah opened the scoring to put Paynesville FC ahead in the 34th minute of the match, five minutes later  Alexander Curtis got the equalizer for the host when he scored from eighteen yards to put Watanga back into the Paynesville Derby.

A brilliant performance from Chauncy Freeman saw him scoring a brace to power Watanga FC to a 3-1 victory to sustain the momentum of their fans to the end when the club got crowned with the prestigious LFA trophy.

As the LFA 2023-2024 football season runs down, Watanga has recorded  26 games, winning 18, drawing 7, and losing 1, collecting 61 points on the table, while FC Bea Mountain has played 26 games, winning 14, drawing 6, and losing 6, with 48 points at second with just games remaining to end the current season.

Watanga FC first won the prestigious trophy in 2021/2022 and now in 2023/2024, as Coach Sannah hopes to later lead the boys for the CAF Champions League preliminary rounds to represent Liberia in the continent's top-flight clubs champions league.