Two of schools’ football giants in Sri Lanka; Zahira College and St.Henry’s College will meet in the final to determine the Champion of the Kotmale Chox U19 Schools Football Championship.
The two schools have a rich football history and will undoubtedly provide a thriller at the Race Course International Stadium when they meet on the 19th of February at 4.30pm. The 3rd Place match between Holy Cross College and St.Sebastian’s College will be played at 2.30pm on the same day.
St.Henry’s massacre Holy Cross to meet Zahira
Road to the Final
Zahira College thrashed Royal College and Wesley College 5-0 and 7-0 respectively. Zahira gave a walk over to Holy Cross resulting in them becoming 2nd in the group.
Zahira won a final worthy quarter final against Maris Stella College 2-1 after a tense battle against their rivals. Zahira won 3-2 against Maris Stella in last year’s semifinal.
They went on to face St.Sebastian’s College, Katuneriya who defeated last year’s runner-up St.Peter’s College. After a grueling match under the scorching sun they managed to win 2-0 after a late goal by Mohamed Aakib.
St.Henry’s College won four of their group stage matches while drawing against De Mazenod College 2-2.
Zahira made to work hard in the sun to qualify for final
St.Henry’s won against St.Sebastian’s College, St.Mary’s College and St.Joseph Vaz College. The lads from Jaffna have scored over 17 goals and have conceded only 2.
St.Henry’s defeated Dharmaraja College 4-1 in the quarter final after being 1-1 at half time.
In the semifinal too it was a close 1-0 in favour of St.Henry’s at half time but the Jaffna lads turned on the screws to humiliate Holy Cross College 8-0.
The Last Time They Met
The last time these two sides met was at the All Island Schools Football Division I semifinal last November. At the end of the 90 minutes it was 1-1 and Zahira won 8-7 on penalties in a tense match.
Key Players
The central midfield pairing of Farood Faiz and Aadhil Ahamed will be vital for Zahira College in controlling the midfield as well as not allowing the St.Henry’s players to give out quick ball to their attackers.
Zahira will be boosted by the inclusion of enigmatic striker Mohamed Shaheel who is back from Sri Lanka duty but there are concerns about his fitness after he sustained a knee injury. However they need not worry that much as they have the youngster Mohamed Aakib who is in goal scoring form and the experienced Ahamed Shakir.
Zahira captain Mohamed Musharaff will have his work cut out in centre-back position to lead by example and keep the St.Henry’s strikers quiet.
St.Sebastian’s v Holy Cross – U19 Football Championship (3rd Place)
For St.Henry’s, their midfield and defense will need to work extra in shutting down the one-two quick passes from the opposition.
St.Henry’s have two Sri Lanka U19 players in Jude Suman and Mathusan but will be without Suman due to a shoulder injury, which will be a significant blow.
Semifinal hat-trick hero Benedict Anojan and his three strike partners will not have a field day as they did against Holy Cross but no doubt will be on the prowl for goals.
Key Strengths
Zahira College is one the finest technical sides in the country and their crisp football will be a treat to watch.
Farood Faiz and Aadhil Ahamed will be in the heart of their classic football while another key strength will be their tactical play, masterminded by Colombo FC’s Double Championship winning coach Mohamed Roomy.
Roomy a former Sri Lanka and Air Force player will be coming with a few plans up his sleeve to guide his side to victory.
St.Henry’s College is one of the fittest schools sides according to Roomy. The Jaffna lads are simply born and breed with fitness while physically they will have the edge over Zahira.
St.Henry’s ability to play the whole 90 minutes at the same tempo will be a game changer.
St.Henry’s are an ultra-attacking side and they will be using a 3-3-4 like they have done in the quarter finals and semifinal.
Zahira v St.Henry’s – U19 Football Championship (Final)
What the coaches said before the final clash;
“They (St.Henry’s) are a very good team and we will have to play our very best to win. We will play to our strengths and will need to negate their attacking threat. Shaheel is still not 100% but there are other players who can fill the void. Our defense will also have to step up the game against the strikers,” Mohamed Roomy added.
“We will be playing the same way we have played throughout the tournament, which is attacking football. Our strikers are in prime form even though we are without our Sri Lanka U19 striker Jude Suman. Hoping to give our best against Zahira,” St.Henry’s coach M.D.Vijayakumar added.
