628 teams from 71 leagues. Only 4 remain. Destiny has its way as the 2014/15 FA Cup semifinals have repeated the same match-ups as last season’s championship; Colombo FC v Army & Blue Star v Navy.
The two semifinals will be played on the 28th of June at 4.00pm and 7.00pm which will be Live Streamed on ThePapare.com from the Sugathadasa Stadium.
Colombo FC v Army (4.00pm kick-off)
The last time these two teams met in the FA Cup were last year’s semifinals where Mohamed Issadeen’s brace gave Army a 2-1 win with Ahamed Shazny scoring for Colombo FC. Since then they met in the Dialog Champions League with Colombo FC coming from behind to draw the match 2-2.
Road to Semi Final
Colombo FC survived a brutal assault by Keteriyans while leading 1-0 in the ‘last 32’ round and won on penalties against Java Lane 4-3 after it ended 1-1 in regular time in the pre-quarters. In the quarter final they swept away 20 times champions Saunders SC 4-2 with late goals.
Army got a walkover from Crystal Palace in the ‘last 32’ round and won 3-1 against six times FA Cup winners, Renown SC in the pre quarter before strolling through to a 2-0 win against Up-Country Lions in the quarter final.
Key Battles
Frank v Warakagoda
The two players has a history between themselves. In the semifinal last year Anurudha Warakagoda’s hard but clean tackle injured A.C.Frank’s knee midway through the first half. Frank who was one of that season’s lethal strikers tore his ACL and was out of action for over a year.
Though he hasn’t scored since his return in the ‘last 32’ round of the FA Cup the presence of Frank has certainly lifted the spirits of the Colombo FC players and the newly appointed Colombo FC vice-captain’s on field character has certainly shone the brightest in tough situations in the pre-quarters and quarter final against Java Lane and Saunders respectively. Frank’s ability to play in the midfield and strengthen the defense adds another dimension to the Colombo FC game plan with his abundance of energy and skill-set always a handful for any defender.
Last year’s FA Cup winning Captain, Warakagoda is an experienced campaigner known for his hard tackling and defensive organization. He would undoubtedly be ready to defuse the threat that is posed from Frank and the rest of Colombo FC.
Raumi v Sankha
The two midfield maestros; Raumi Mohideen from Colombo FC and Sankha Danushka from Army will play a key role in the outcome of the match. The veteran Raumi has won 6 FA Cup’s during his time with Ratnam and would want to add another before he ends his career while his much younger but experienced counterpart, Danushka will want to leave an everlasting mark against one of Sri Lanka’s finest midfielders.
Both have the ability to control the match to their pace and the vision to create chances for their lethal forwards. Coach Roomy has been managing the veteran, Raumi in the last couple of matches citing “since he is getting old and fasting these days” but he will be itching to get back to the field and show the fans he has still go it.
Issadeen v Colombo FC defense
Mohamed Issadeen has won the golden boot in the last four seasons, with the highest tally of 28 goals coming in this season. That is enough to send shivers down any defense. The Colombo FC defense has the unenviable task of shutting down this goal scoring machine this Sunday and it will not be easy.
The veteran striker who recently got recalled to the National side runs like a player in his mid-20’s and his finishing touches are that of a pro. The support he gets from Sajith Kumara and Madushan De Silva is key and if Colombo FC can shut down Issadeen’s feeding lines then their task would be half done.
Colombo FC lost one of their main defenders in Mohamed Jein in the quarter final due to injury and is highly unlikely that he will be available for the crunch battle. It will be up to Mohamed Rizni to organize his defense and mark Issadeen, else it will be a long evening for Colombo FC.
Roomy v Fawmy 
Last time around in the coach’s battle Fawmy walked away with honours with Roomy having to nurse Frank’s injury. This time around Colombo FC coach Mohamed Roomy has a fit and healthy Frank and a strong bench he can utilize.
Roomy’s tactical brilliance was a key in their victory against Saunders in the quarter final. With the score at 1-1 Colombo FC were struggling to breakdown the Saunders defense going into the final fiftenn minutes and Roomy brought in Ahamed Shazny to replace Raumi and dropped Frank to the midfield for Shazny to be a striker. The move paid dividends as they got the lead within minutes and went on to win 4-2.
Having the energy, pace and skillset of the three African players will be a huge bonus for Roomy, something Fawmy doesn’t have. However for Fawmy an important asset no other team can better Army is fitness. In the past Army have gone on to punish oppositions purely on the back of their superior fitness levels and furthermore he has the bench strength to mix youth and experience as he did against Up-Country Lions.
Watch the match LIVE: http://goo.gl/KMQUAE
