Hameed Al Husseinie held on in an end to end clash to see off the Peterites, to edge them by 2-1 score line, in the Sri Lanka Schools’ Association U19 Division I Quarter Final match at the P.D. Sirisena Ground, Maligawatta.
Both teams exchanged blows from the kick off as they pushed for the opener. Despite opening up both defences neither one of the schools converted their chances. Both defense lines seemed shaky as they were content with clearing their lines rather than playing the ball out.
The Hameedians looked the more menacing out of the two teams going forward as their main man on the left Mohamed Rizlan proved to be a handful for the Peterite defense.
The second half saw the Hameedians get off the blocks faster than their visitors, who seemed rather docile after half time.
The Peterites paid for it dearly as a reckless challenge on Rizlan earned Hammed Al Husseinie a valuable free kick just outside the box. Mohamed Fazil stepped up and made no mistake as he curved the ball around the wall into the net leaving the goalkeeper, Ashfaq Ayub rooted to his spot in the 57th minute.
The Hameedians smelled blood with that opening and came in for the kill yet again as they tried to pin the Peterites to their own half.
Photo Album – St.Peter’s College v Hameed Al Husseinie – U19 Div I Qtr Final
With their persistent pressure they finally cashed in for a second in the 61st minute when Mohamed Sajith latched on to a defensive error by skipper Angelo Perera to run in behind and chip the advancing keeper.
When it seemed all but lost the Bambalapitiya lads stepped up their game causing a few jitters in the Hameedian defense.
After brief spell of possession in the 74th minute, Niran Fernando was on the end of a nicely worked set piece by Pesala Malik to pull one back for the visitors from close range.
With a bit between their teeth, the Peterites pressed for an equalizer with the clock ticking down. This caused the Hammedians back line some problems as they were content with punting the ball up field.
The game soon turned dirty as Afam Akram from St.Peters’ proved to be too good for Mohamed Usman on the left. After a few head to head tussles the referee finally had to caution Usman as he constantly brought Afam down.
The game’s most crucial point came in the 83rd minute when the duo of Niran and Pesala combined again from a corner to see the ball home only to be denied by the offside flag.
It was a rather controversial decision as Niran looked to be onside when the ball was delivered and it simply blew the Peterite bench off their feet.
The game further spun into controversy as the number of fouls kept piling up against the home side and especially Usman who was fortunate to stay on the pitch after an intentional handball.
With decisions going against them the Peterite coach was clearly displeased by his team being on the wrong side of matters as the visitors were left in despair when the referee brought play to a close.
The St. Peter’s players and coaching staff were at the ears of the referees expressing their displeasure in terms of the decision making by the officials.
In a game in which quite a lot of special talent was on display, Afam Akram stood out among the rest with his flair and style as he took apart the Hameedian defense on the left. The Java lane winger seemed the biggest goal threat for the visitors sweeping in with the ball at his feet.
ThePapare.com Man of the Match: Afam Akram
