‘Golden Lions’ bring home the bacon

Jubilant Sri Lankan camp after defeating Cambodia 4-2 after penalty tie breaker which enabled the former to qualify for next round of AFC Asia Cup 2027 in Saudi Arabia 

AFC Asia Cup 2027 Qualifier: Second leg

By Althaf Nawaz

The Sri Lanka National Football team – the ‘Golden Lions’ – powered their way to a 4 -2 win (on penalties) at Phnom Penh Stadium under lights yesterday over mighty Cambodia in their own den, to surge ahead to the next round of the AFC Asia Cup 2027 (Saudi Arabia). 

The win enabled them to keep their hopes alive in this most prestigious tournament held in the Asian continent.

After settling for a nil-all draw at home a few days back, the Lankan lads put up a sensational performance to defeat the higher ranked team on their home soil and to silence their critics who were making various remarks after the outcome at home.

Once again it was a scintillating performance by skipper Sujan Perera and his charges who held their nerve, and more importantly, had the temperament to keep the momentum on in a game which went over 120 minutes.

It all happened when the game ended 1-all at the full time, which led to extra time. This eventually ended in a 2-all draw forcing both teams to a penalty tie breaker.

Sri Lanka managed to find the net on four occasions, while the losers were on target twice, thanks to a great effort by skipper Sujan Perera at goal.

This win overseas was notched up after nine years since they beat Nepal in 2015 in Trivandrum, India in a SAFF Tournament match.

Sri Lanka drew first blood in the 37th minute when Oliver James Kellart fired a left footed kick which surprised rival goalie Vireak Dara, and the score line remained 1-0 at breather.

After the turn around, striker Sosian Nhean equalised to make it 1-all, which transformed the game to an electrifying atmosphere.

In extra time, Sokent Hav increased the lead with another brilliant strike, but Lankan defender Claudio Matthias powered his way to bail his team from defeat and to decide the winner on a penalty tie breaker.

Jack Hingert, Samuel Durrant, Oliver James and Leon Perera made no mistake with their kicks to seal a memorable victory.

The man who was instrumental in transforming this team to a winning combination, the jubilant Head Coach Abdullah Almuthairi speaking to Daily FT said “Sri Lanka has great potential in football and this is just a beginning for Sri Lanka’s football legacy.

The livewire who put up an untiring effort in facilitating all the needs of the national team FSL President Jaswar Umar said: “We are humbled with this great achievement. This win is dedicated to all 22 million Sri Lankans. Let’s build together and move up stronger”.