The South Eastern University of Sri Lanka proved to be a step above the rest on their home turf, dominating the final day of football action at the Inter University Football Championship.
The preceding two days of action had seen fourteen teaks whittled down to four. A place in the finals beckoned for the winners of the semifinals and that incentive alone was the perfect recipe for a healthy dose of drama which was exactly what the first semifinal between the University of Colombo and the Eastern University of Sri Lanka delivered.
The first half was only a prelude to what was to follow as the two teams fought hard with little reward as neither team failed to gain a foothold. The start of the second half proved to be the breakthrough moment as a speculative shot from the half way line made its way through the goalkeeper's hands to give Colombo an unlikely lead. From there on Eastern were forced to chase the game and though they pressed hard there were few clear cut chances until the very end when a free kick was awarded from around 20 yards away. The ensuing shot curled its way towards the downside of the crossbar, and bounced out of the goal reminiscent of that famous Frank Lampard ghost goal from 2010, however this time the referee was more alert and Eastern were awarded an equalizer with what was the last kick of the game.
The penalty shootout just added to the drama as both sides seemingly decide to miss penalties synchronously. It was Colombo who went first and whose third penalty was well saved by the Eastern keeper handing a golden chance to grab the initiative which was spurned as the next shot hit the post. From then on both teams showed some clinical penalty taking right up to the 8th penalty, when with the score tied at 6-6 the Colombo player skied his shot well over the goal handing Eastern a golden opportunity to make the final. Unfortunately, the next penalty was wide and the Colombo keeper (Their third of the penalty shootout!) saved the next handing Colombo a 7-6 win on penalties and cruelly snatching away victory from a despondent Eastern team.
The next semifinal between the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka and the University of Jaffna was a much more comfortable affair with South Eastern unleashing a furious display of counterattacking football to dismantle their opponents. South Eastern were content at most times to sit back and wait until Jaffna lost the ball while building up their attacks with all three goals coming by way of rapid transitions.
The scoring was opened by Anfal, midway in the first half before the second half saw South Eastern solidify their advantage with another goal through Askar before Thushanthan sealed the deal with a third goal in injury team. Jaffna also had their fair share of chances, mainly from shots from range but a solid defensive display was able to deal with these threats effectively.
This set up a mouth watering final between the organized Colombo team and the fluid counterattacking South Eastern team but before the main course it was the turn of the two losing semifinalists to fight it out for the bronze medal. It was another match that would not disappoint and it was Eastern who would open the scoring in a high scoring thriller with a delicious shot from range by Rizan finding the back of the net before Jaffna equalized almost immediately through a scrappy header from S Sujanthan. Eastern would strike back before the half was up before Nilakshan unleashed a shot from an impossible angle that somehow made its way to the back of the net, meaning that the two teams went into the break tied 2-2. The second half saw less clear cut chances and it was likely that a single goal would decide the game and so it would prove as in the dying embers of the game a shot from distance from Jaffna, hit the crossbar and lobbed straight up. Aendjan was at the right place at the right time and his accurate header was the decisive blow in an exhilarating game as the University of Jaffna took a 3-2 win right at the death.
This was all precursor to the final, however and South Eastern were going to have the vocal support of a boisterous crowd who had swelled in their numbers to support their home team in their bid for inter university glory. From the very beginning of the match, it was South Eastern who seemed to have the edge as several close chances went begging with some last ditch defending from Colombo also keeping things level. The University of Colombo also were not without their moments and had clear cut chances of their own as the teams neared the half time whistle. However, before the whistle rang out a South Eastern attack was stopped by a shove from a Colombo defender. The resulting penalty was coolly converted by Thushanthan as the home side went into the break with a 1-0 lead.
The second half would prove to be the Anfal show, as the Agni player would run the half, first converting an exquisite diagonal ball with a precise striker before another counterattack was finished off by an accurate header. As the University of Colombo opened up and expanded in their bid to find a goal they left spaces in their defence and the rapid South Eastern attack was able to exploit this with a fourth goal by Mushtaq adding the proverbial icing on the cake as they wrapped up a commanding 4-0 victory.
In front of a jubilant crowd, the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka was awarded the Inter University Football Championship by their vice chancellor Prof. Rameez Abubucker and the ceremony proved to be a fitting end to what had been an exhilarating 3 days of football, finally culminating in a home side victory which would surely be celebrated well into the night.
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