In a mouthwatering FA Cup ‘Round of 16’ match at the Vernon Fernando Stadium, Kalutara Super Sun SC fought until the final whistle to beat St.Mary’s SC 1-0 and reserved a place in the quarter finals.
In the buildup to this exciting tie, Super Sun had the better of the first division side Mawanella Serendib SC with a 2-1 score margin. In the corresponding round, St. Mary’s SC, the lone representative of Jaffna in the first division, registered a massive 12-0 win against Puttalam Wimbledon SC.
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The match kicked off In front of a large volume of spectators gathered mostly from Beruwala and Kalutura. The early minutes of play saw an equal share of possession shared between the teams. Half chances that fell at both ends were efficiently defended.
No clear cut chances for the opener were created until St Mary’s Antony Rekno fouled an opposition player inside the penalty box. The referee had no hesitation in awarding the penalty. However, St Mary’s goalkeeper Sudharshan pulled off an acrobatic save to keep off Shafraz Kaiz’s spot kick.
A couple of successive chances fell in place for Kaiz afterwards but a lack of confidence following the penalty incident was evidently reflected in his finishing.
Super Sun’s goalkeeper Mohamed Nishad made a quick save off Ebiron’s effort in the other end. The game demanded a lot of physical fitness as challenges and body checks were common.
Half time – Super Sun SC 0 – 0 St.Mary’s SC
In the second half, St.Mary’s Mathivathanan smashed a long range effort over the bar. In the following minute, Rekno tried a header which too was not fruitful. Super Sun responded quickly through Nuwan Priyankara who sent a direct free kick over the cross bar.
A few minutes later, the referee awarded a free kick to St. Mary’s following a handball incident. Jackson was technically brilliant with the shot but luck wasn’t on his side as the ball kissed the crossbar and went out.
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Super Sun’s defender Mohamed Fayazil sent a long ball into the box and was headed goalwards by Mohamed Rishmak. However, Sudharshan was up to the task.
Super Sun’s Nishad committed a goalkeeping mistake that resulted in another glorious opportunity for the visitors. The goal bound effort was cleared on the line by Sazni to the relief of the home crowd.
On the other side, Nuwan Priyankara carried the ball to the corner flag and dribbled past two St. Mary’s defenders before firing a shot that was well blocked by the keeper again. However, the rebound was directed towards Farood Faiz who noticed the out-of-position keeper and slotted it home to give Super Sun the lead.
From a well worked corner, Rekno sent another header over the crossbar. Another glorious opportunity to equalize arrived at Nitharhan who squared the ball to Mathivathanan. The shot again was so close yet too far for the visitors.
Much conviction and passion were exhibited by both sides. Nitharshan headed a goal off a cross came from the midfield but the linesman called it offside and the goal was disallowed.
Full time – Super Sun SC 1 – 0 St.Mary’s SC
ThePapare.com Player of the Match – Nuwan Priyankara
Speaking to ThePapare.com, Super Sun’s coach Mohamed Noordeen had this to say;
“It was a tough game until the last moment. They were the toughest side we have faced and they put a lot of pressure on us. In our next round, we will have to face the Army or Navy side. We have improved a lot over the years. We are focusing on taking our game to them.”
Goal Scorers
Super Sun SC – Farood Faiz 63′
Bookings
Yellow Cards
Super Sun SC – Mohamed Fahim
St.Mary’s SC – J.Amiton
