Friday Nov 22, 2024
Friday Nov 22, 2024
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Player of the Match Imesha Warnakulasuriya holds her replica and the cheque after scoring the solitary goal for Sri Lanka to defeat Maldives 1-0 in their curtain raiser match at SAFF Women’s Championship match played in Nepal yesterday.
By Althaf Nawaz
Debutant Imesha Warnakulasuriya headed Sri Lanka to a convincing 1-0 win over Maldives in the curtain raiser at Dasharath Stadium in Nepal yesterday.
After seven years (losing 2-1to Maldives in 2019), the Lankan lasses put up a swashbuckling performance spearheaded by the young and talented Imesha who bisected the rival defense with a well-timed header after Praveena Perera executed a cross kick from the right flank to break the shackles in 17th minute of the game.
The 22-year-old third year undergraduate representing Renown Sports Club in the domestic tournament, made a memorable debut to make her country proud with this solo performance.
The winners imposed immense pressure on the rival camp from the outset. They made some teasing moves and made frequent inroads into their opponent’s territory, and finally reached success midway in the first half.
Even though the final score read 1-0, it did not reflect the total dominance of the Lankan lasses, who missed more than half dozen chances, with lady luck deserting them at crucial moments. Nevertheless, it was a stunning team performance headed by Thushani Madushika, who led and inspired her team quite well.
Mention should also be made of Head Coach Mohamed Hassan Roomy for moulding this team into a winning outfit. More importantly the team displayed some top-quality soccer even though they had been without any domestic competitions for several years.
Speaking to Daily FT over the phone, Coach Roomy said, “I am delighted with my team’s performance. The girls gave their best for the country for which I am very thankful. We planned accordingly to the rival’s strength and weakness and succeeded.”
“We will similarly plan for the next game against Bhutan next Monday, which is going to be another tough assignment. We will try to give our best to secure a positive result to secure a place in the semi-final,” concluded Roomy.
