Brilliant Jabateh Rallies CSKA Draw Against Madrid


 

By Wleh Bedell

Liberia's new boy-wonder Sekou Jabateh Oliseh was in electrifying form as he rallied his CSKA Moscow side to get on level pecking with nine times European champions Real Madrid in a round of sixteen clash in Moscow.

Jabateh who came on midway in the second period for the Nigerian Ahmed Musa ignited the game for his side as he made life very difficult for the Pottuguese full back Fabio Coentrao with his mesmerising skills, subtle moves and clever crosses.

Jabateh's introduction put Madrid on the back foot as the home side became more adventurous.

Watching the game via DSTV, the Nigerian trained-Danish promoted-Russian based Liberian international made light weather of Coentrao as he brought him in and out as the Madrid man was seen hapless on the synthetic turf before Jabateh unleashed a sublime cross in the path of his Ivorian teammate Doumbia.

Replay showed a furious Jose Mourinho furious on the side line as a result of the 21 year old boy- wonder explosive skills against Coentrao. Matter would become worse when the Portuguese fouled the Liberian making him to be awarded a yellow card as Jabateh was in imperious form.

Mourinho after introducing Ricardo Kaka for Jose Calejon later made a negative substitution as his side went on the back foot due to the Moscow outfit game being raised. One of Madrid's trident strike force member, Mesut Ozil, was bsubstituted for the Spanish international Raul Albiol as the Premier Liga leaders sat back and played on the break.

But, a vintage Jabateh with the aid of the sublime Japanese Honda rallied in the last 30 seconds of the match to make their side get the leveler through Pontus Wernbloom whose effort beat Iker Casillas to cancel a Christaino Ronaldo's 28th minute strike.

The return leg is at the Santiago Bernabeau on March 14 with CSKA Moscow needing a win to sail through, a tall order indeed.

But, upon the blast of the referee's whistle to end the match the whole of Monrovia errupted into ecstasy as people jubilated for Jabateh's exploits. There were all kinds of songs with some singing "Jabateh the new Weah", "Jabateh mother thank you it is good to born a boy child", one other hilarious fan quickly told a colleague "Barca wants Jabateh" while others have already started comparing him with the legendary Weah.

It has being party all night in Monrovia and reports from other parts of the country say the party is even hotter.

The great form of Sekou has certainly inspired his countrymen with some saying they are fans of CSKA Moscow and no other European side. Some wish that Jabateh will be bought by a top European club due to such a virtuoso performance against a star-saturated Madrid.

Jabateh is no doubt the new face of Liberian football as far as seeing or mentioning a Liberian player at the apex of European football. Since the expolits of Weah especially during the 1994/95 champions league where he ended as top scorer in the competition with eight goals and helped his Paris Saint Germain outfit stunned the bookmakers by beating the likes of Spartak Moscow, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, all of whom Weah scored against, Liberians have being yearning a player of their own emulate Weah's success story and it seems a certain youngster in Sekou Jabateh Oliseh has come to stay.