City & Negombo in an All Star finals battle

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  • City Football League U19 - 2016

City Football League will take on Negombo Football League in the final of the Korea-Sri Lanka Friendship U19 Junior Inter League Championship.

It will be played on 08th July at CR&FC grounds at 3:30pm. The match will be played between City Football League Vs Negombo Football League. Football Federation of Sri Lanka organized the tournament with the Sponsorship of Korea Football Association for the 2nd successive year.

The tournament started on 24th January 2016 with the participation of 58 teams, and matches were based on home & away Knockout system. Last year, Jaffna Football League was crowned Champions of the Junior Inter League tournament.

City Football League (CFL) qualified to play the finals by defeating Mawanella Football League by 10-0 in an away match and got a walkover in the home leg of the semi-final while in the quarter final they hammered Galle FL 6-0 away and also got a walkover in the home leg.

City FL has been in outrageous form averaging 8 goals per match in the whole tournament. Having at least 6-7 Sri Lanka U19 players it is no wonder that City FL has scored these goals and are firm favourites to win the championship.

The squad is coached by current Zahira and Colombo FC coach, Mohamed Roomy with Maxi Lettrn as his assistant.

“Afam Akram, Mohamed Shaheel, Farood Faiz and Dnaushka Madushanka are in excellent form so we are hoping to continue the good run and win,” Roomy added talking to ThePapare.com.

However it won’t be a walk in the park for City FL as their rivals Negombo FL also possess a few Sri Lanka U19 caps and talented youngsters, though they will be missing their star player and sharp shooter Dilip Peiris, who is in the national squad, due to an ankle injury.

Even without Peiris, Negombo has the fire power to upset City FL with the likes of Sri Lanka U19 cap Kasun Sandeepa Fernando, former Maris Stella College captain Supun Lahiru, Peterite midfielder Niran Fernando and also Shaminda Perera of St.Mary’s College who will be the one to look out for.

Negombo FL defeated Mannar FL 2-2 away with Shaminda and Niran scoring and 3-1 with Shaminda scoring a hat-trick. In the quarter final they met Wennapuwa FL and won 4-0 away from home with Peiris scoring a hat-trick and Supun Lahiru adding the other while they got a walkover in the home leg.

Negombo FL is coached by Bonifus Perera and assistant coach Niroshan Perera.