UEL are out of the South Eastern Conference Cup after a 5-4 defeat away at Brunel on Sunday.
The Blues faced their toughest opponents this season and pushed Brunel right up until the final whistle, but ultimately fell short of victory.
“It was a tough game, but it all came down to fitness,” claimed wide man Bruno Cesar. “We took a while to get into shape in the first half, that’s why we went behind.
“I think our weakest link was our finishing. I hit the post three times and we missed a lot of one-on-ones. We had enough chances to win but we didn’t take them.”
Nervy start
Brunel went two goals up following a nervy start from UEL, but the visitors responded well to level things up before half time.
The second half saw the East Londoners dominate, creating chance after chance but struggling to beat Brunel’s in-form goalkeeper.
The hosts then took the lead against the run of play, and UEL coach Trevor Tamatave reacted immediately by switching to a ‘fly-keeper’ which gave the Blues a numerical advantage in attack.
Relentless
It was a move that looked to backfire at first, with Brunel netting another two goals to make things 5-2, but UEL continued to make chances and eventually clawed their way back to a one-goal deficit.
UEL were relentless in their pressure, but Brunel’s resilient defending helped them to get over the line and into the semi finals.
Another must-win game follows for UEL as they take on top-of-the-league St Marys on Sunday, who they could overtake if they win both of their games in hand.
