Ratnam SC registered a vital 2-0 away victory against Singing Fish SC in the first leg of the Premier League Division II semifinals held at the Thuraiyappa Stadium, Jaffna.
It was Singing Fish who started the match well with some slick passing and Ratnam was made to go deep and defend from the word go.
Shinedu John of Ratnam SC received an early yellow for a late tackle early in the match.
The domination in the early exchange earned Singing Fish a penalty opportunity totake the lead but Ratnam SC’s goalkeeper dived the right way to make the save much to the frustration of the fans.
The match saw two quick yellow cards as tensions ran high in the middle of the pitch. Franko and Christian of Singing Fish were guilty of unnecessary challenges and were rightfully carded.
Ratnam SC’s custodian Segan was brought into action quite a number of times but the seasoned campaigner was able to keep Singing Fish from scoring.
Ratnam SC gradually settled into the game and started to move forward in attack.
In the 33rd minute, Thiago pounced on a defensive error from Singing Fish and turned that into a goal giving Ratnam SC the lead.
Ratnam SC was able to go into half time without conceding a goal keeping their lead intact.
Half Time- Singing fish SC 0 – 1 Ratnam SC
Both teams displayed some high on energy end to end football but couldn’t find a goal early in the 2nd half.
Ratnam SC somehow managed to double their lead in the 70th minute when Aaqil rounded off Singing Fish SC’s goalkeeper to score the second vital away goal.
Three more yellow cards were showed by the referee in a tackle filled game.
The match had to be stopped when a fight broke out in the stands as the supporters showed their dissatisfaction over the Referee’s decisions by throwing stones into the playing area.
The match recommenced after a short delay as Singing Fish SC pushed for a goal. But the Ratnam defense was up to the task and made sure they finshed with a clean sheet.
Full Time- Singing fish SC 0 – 2 Ratnam SC
Goal Scorers
Ratnam SC – Thiago 33’, Aaqil 70’
Bookings
Yellow Cards –
Ratnam SC – Shinedu John 06’, Sathish Kumar 72’
Singing Fish SC – Franko 11’, Christian 28’, Mayuran 51’ Gnana Pradaap 72’
Great Star SC V Geli Oya FC
Another away victory rounded off the first leg of the Semi-finals. Great Star suffered defeat at their home venue at Bentota Gamini Stadium, losing 1-0 to Geli Oya FC.
The first half was a dull affair as both teams were sloppy and neither was able to gain the lead.
However, ten minutes into the second half, Geli Oya made use of a penalty awarded in favour of them to take the lead and ultimately an invaluable away win.
The match ended 1-0 with Geli Oya going into their home leg with an away goal advantage.
