Air Force won 2-0 with goals from Kavindu Ishan and Nipuna Bandara in each half at the CR&FC.
Goals by Kavindu Ishan and Nipuna Bandara in each half against Renown SC strengthened top four position for Air Force but the match will be remembered for erroneous decisions by referee throughout the match at the CR&FC Grounds.
Kavindu Ishan scored a breakaway goal drilling home a low ball towards the far post and Nipuna Bandara’s free-kick took a deflection off the wall and trickled into the goal with Sathish Kumara stranded.
Air Force having already qualified for the super eight round were looking to strengthen their position to take vital points into the next round while Renown needed three points from the final two matches to pip Saunders and Solid for the fourth place.
It was the Air Force who started off brightly with Kavindu Ishan and Bandara creating trouble on the two wings and it was a nightmare for left back Mohamed Rizkhan. Rizkhan, time after time was found to be out of position and added a burden on the rest of the back four.
Ishan took advantage of the defensive fatalities as he broke away on the left, coming into the box and with the goalkeeper Sathish Kumar rushing out he sent a low powerful ball towards the far corner, earning a well-deserved lead for the visitors.
Air Force should have gotten themselves a penalty when Rizkhan clattered into Bandara but referee Lakmal Weerakkody waved play-on much to the disappointment of the Air Force players and bench.
Renown’s indiscipline plagued them for the 90 minutes as they got into arguments and cynical fouls rather than playing football. Renown were lucky not to get a red card when Mohamed Fazal gave an Air Force player a face full of his hand in an incident off the ball, which charged up the Air Force bench. Fazal walked away with just a yellow.
Rizkhan was replaced by Falul Rahuman at halftime but the second half was much of the same as the experience of Air Force showed in midfield taking control of the match. The Air-Men were constantly knocking on the Renown defense, which barely managed to keep the score at 1-0.
The visitors however got the second goal from a free-kick as Nipuna Bandara’s effort took a wicked deflection off the wall sending the goalkeeper the wrong way with no chance of getting back. Mohamed Rifnaz was sent off for Renown after receiving two yellow cards in a matter of minutes but it was only after the players reminding the referee he had already given Rifnaz a yellow card earlier.
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“We took it as match by match from the beginning and was planning for 20 points and now with a match in hand we are in good position. Small mistakes but nothing we cannot rectify. We used Kolitha Lankeshwara in midfield to disrupt their midfield which worked,” Air Force coach Tuwan Raheem talked about his tactical plan.
“We played good football in the early going but missed chance. Then we lost our discipline which I haven’t seen from a Renown team. I always look for discipline and this is a good lesson for us. The indiscipline will never happen in the future,” Mohamed Amanulla spoke with ThePapare.com about the indiscipline which hampered Renown’s play.
