Rejuvenated Zahira punish tentative Royal

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Zahira College breezed past Royal College 4-0 in a one sided encounter in the U19 Division I group stage fixture held at Cooray Park.

The match began controversially even before kickoff as miscommunication between the schools ended with confusion regarding the venue. The match was initially scheduled and communicated to all parties including media, to be played at Zahira College grounds even though Royal College was the hosts. However at the last moment Royal College had booked Cooray Park in Wellawatta and by the time everything was ready for kick-off it had led to an hour of delay.

Zahira College came into the match after drawing with Holy Cross College in which their performance was below par. But with their coach Mohamed Roomy back on the sidelines, they looked to hit back with a win. On the other hand, Royal came into the match after two draws in the matches they played against St. Peter’s College and Holy Cross College.

Resolute Holy Cross steals point at Zahira

Shafran Sathar had an evening to forget as Kevin Asela cancelled out Ijaz Ishan’s second half goal.

The Zahirians started off proceedings in their usual manner, attacking right from the word go. They were quick and exploited the flanks expertly in a very uneven Cooray Park. Royal College was forced to drag back as they defended tentatively.

It didn’t take much time for Zahira College to break the deadlock. Shafran Sathar, who had a dismal outing in the previous game, supplied Mohammed Murshid with a delicate low cross as the latter put the Maradana boys up in front in the 14th minute.

Royal’s star player Naveen Jude tried his luck from long range but the Zahira goalkeeper had no trouble collecting his shots.

In the 33rd minute, Farood Faiz came into the frame when he opened up Mohamed Rimaz, who doubled the lead for Zahira with a tidy finish.

On the stroke of half time, Zahira won a penalty, thanks to an unwanted challenge from the back by Royal keeper Chathura Avishka. Mohamed Shaheel stepped up and sent the Royal goalkeeper the wrong way to make it 3-0 before half time.

Half Time: Royal College 0-3 Zahira College

The second half saw Royal College playing better than the first half but poor control saw them losing the ball often. The Reid Avenue boys looked tentative and soft compared to the Maradana lads, who showed more intent.

They made use of the sorry display from the Royal fullbacks who let the Zahira wingers go past them quite a number of times.

In the fifty first minute, Mohamed Hammadh made use of a lazy effort from the Royal goalkeeper, who was late to charge towards the ball, by heading it home.

Royal College fought back to win a few free kicks but didn’t utilize it as they would have wanted. Kaleel Ur Rahuman had a great outing as he kept the national prodigy Naveen Jude in check throughout the game.

The last few minutes saw Zahira skipper Farood Faiz providing thorough entertainment with some long range efforts.

In the end it was an easy win for Zahira College as they returned to winning ways after a disappointing draw in their previous game.

Full Time: Royal College 0-4 Zahira College

ThePapare.com Player of the Match: Farood Faiz (Zahira College)

Talking to ThePapare.com, Royal College coach Ashoka Ravindra was upbeat about his team’s performance and was critical of the rule of not letting under 17 players in the competition,

“The boys played well despite the result. The ground condition was hard for our players to adapt but they played well and few silly mistakes cost us the match. We had to play a new keeper since our regular goalkeeper is not eligible to take part. This is an absurd rule from the federation as they are not letting the young talent get the exposure they deserve. It affects the team coordination as well”

Zahira College coach Mohammed Roomy had some strong words to say

“The venue mix up was excusable but the condition of the grounds was inexcusable. Both the schools having their own grounds, (we) shouldn’t have played in these conditions. But the boys adapted well to use the flanks and score the goals. We were able to play our regular one touch football also. I’m glad that we have come back strong after the draw”

He also showed his displeasure of the constant fixture changes.

“We have to play 3 games in 4 days. One has to consider they are school children. We have to take care of them physically and mentally.  There should be a proper calendar about the fixtures in these kinds of competitions”

Zahira College will be facing Ananda College tomorrow before locking horns with rivals Hameed Al Husseinie College in a mouthwatering clash on Thursday. Meanwhile, Royal will look to register their first win of the tournament when they meet Ananda College this Thursday.

Goal scorers:
Zahira College: Mohammed Murshid 14’, Mohammed Rimaz 33’, Mohammed Shaheel 36’ (penalty), Mohamed Hammadh 51’

Bookings:
Yellow cards- Hasanga 16’ (Royal College), Chathura Avishka 40’ (Royal College), Ijaz Ishan 43’ (Zahira College)