Premier Division

Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Two Middlesex County Football League sides, in SL Benfica, and Kodak (Harrow), faced each other in a Premier Division fixture on Tuesday night, at Spratleys Meadow (Amersham Town FC). SL Benfica were looking to return to winning ways, following a 4-2 defeat to Jolof Sports on Saturday. But, the team who started this match in second place in the table (after 21 matches played), knew that a win against Kodak would see them return to the top of the league table. Kodak (Harrow) started this match in eighth place in the league table, after 19 matches played. This step 7 match was won 5-2 by SL Benfica. Shortly after Kodak player Joel Chileshe’s dipping effort from distance, had looped over Luis Silva’s goal, SL Benfica would take an early lead. Benfica captain Egidio Mahmoud would receive the ball just inside of the Kodak penalty area, before skillfullly taking it across to the right-hand side of the box, and then clinically finding the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 1-0.

Benfica would now look to get another goal, but after Laye Sangare had got to a good lofted pass on the left-hand side of the Kodak penalty area, he would hit a powerful effort across the face of Warren McCreeth’s goal. The away side would then enjoy a good spell in the game, which saw Kieran Ali’s good corner-kick delivery to the near post of the Benfica goal, be glanced wide, across the face of the goal by Walid Zidane. However, Benfica would soon make it 2-0, thanks to a superb free-kick goal from Jigar Kumar. The Benfica player’s perfect, whipped free-kick effort from the edge (to the left-hand side of the goal), would hit the goalkeeper’s right-hand post before rebounding off the goalkeeper and then going into the goal, 2-0. A fine, dipping free-kick effort (from 25 yards out) had to then be well pushed around his right-hand post by Luis Silva. Ricky Nelson’s Benfica side would finish the half in outstanding fashion, however.

Benfica’s third goal of the night saw Laye Sangare play a good lofted pass across to Egidio Mahmoud, who was 25 yards out from goal. He would then hit a really good and powerful effort which found the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, 3-0. And just before half-time, Egidio Mahmoud would score his hat-trick goal, to get Benfica’s fourth goal of the game. As Mahmoud had excellently controlled a lofted pass inside of the visitor’s penalty area. He would then work a bit of space, before managing to accurately find the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, on the stretch and past the outstretched Warren McCreeth, 4-0. During the early stages of the second half, Kodak player Endrit Feka’s forward pass would find the run of Ayoola Adu-Olotin inside of the Benfica box, as the Kodak forward volleyed an effort wide of Luis Silva’s goal. Then at the opposite end of the pitch, a couple of minutes later, Egidio Mahmoud would skilfully take the ball around a Kodak defender, down the right-hand side of the pitch, and into the penalty area. His subsequent effort (he was off balance) however, would go wide of the goal.

With Kodak player Kieran Ali now sin-binned, Benfica would look to capitalise, and they would soon extend their lead. The impressive Che Regis would get to the ball on the edge of the Kodak penalty area, before powerfully finishing into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, 5-0. Kodak were starting to improve, and after Egidio Mahmoud had hit a low effort, from the edge of the Kodak box, which went wide of their goal, Kodak would manage to get a goal back in the game. A long forward ball from a Kodak free-kick would find Kean Graver inside of the Benfica box, who subsequently helped the ball on to Romario Godfrey-Brown. He would then square the ball to Andi Feka, who was in a bit of space inside of the box, and he would finish low into the goal, 5-1.

Benfica’s top goalscorer so far this season, Rafael Barbosa Dos Santos, would start to have a good impact on the game after being substituted on during the second half of this match. After playing a clever one-two pass with a teammate on the edge of the edge of the Kodak box, Barbosa Dos Santos would hit a powerful effort wide of McCreeth’s goal. Soon after that chance the Benfica forward would run on to an excellent through-ball pass, in behind the Kodak defence, he would take the ball around the outrushing goalkeeper inside of the Kodak penalty area, before seeing his low effort on goal be excellently cleared off the line by a recovering defender. Kodak would finish the game strongly, and they would manage to get another goal. With Romario Godfrey-Brown’s well delivered, looping corner-kick going into the goal, off the goalkeeper’s right-hand post, 5-2.

In the final minutes of the game Kodak’s captain Zachary Goddard would hit an effort wide of Luis Silva’s right-hand post, with a good effort on the bounce from the edge of the Benfica box. This was such a clinical performance from SL Benfica, who found themselves 4-0 up at half-time. The home side would move the ball around the pitch really well in the final third, and with real purpose, with the excellent Egidio Mahmoud really playing his part in this win for the league leaders. However, Kodak did have some good spells in this game, which also included a spirited second half performance. For Kodak, I thought that with a goal and an assist, that Romario Godfrey-Brown (he didn’t start this match) was their player of the match. However, mentions must also go to Kalonji Lazare, Ronaldo Gashi, Endrit Feka, and Andi Feka, for their performances.

For SL Benfica, I was impressed with Pedro Camolas, Laye Sangare, and Che Regis, to name just some of the Benfica players. However, with a superb hat-trick of goals to his name, the inventive Egidio Mahmoud was my overall player of the match. He did some really fine work with the ball, and he was always looking to create, or get efforts away on the Kodak goal.

This match report was written by Lennon, who writes on non-League and grassroots football on his blog – nonleagueandacademyfootballwriter.co.uk