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.
Blue Star v Navy SC (7.00pm kick-off)
Last year’s FA Cup semifinal these two sides met ended in 1-1 draw with Blue Star scoring in the first half and Navy equalizing in the second. Blue Star qualified for the final on penalties, winning 3-1. The two sides once again battled it out in the Premier League since then and Blue Star once again got the win, 1-0.
Road to Semi Final
Blue Star came into form with a 4-0 demolishing of Police in the pre-quarters after only a last minute goal by Rifkhan saved them from Pelicans SC in the last 32 round. In the quarter finals they were taken the distance by a resilient Matara City but ultimately won 3-0 on penalties.
Navy on the other hand faced quality Champions League outfits in their last 32 round and pre quarters. The sailors defeated Super Sun 2-0 and came back from a goal down to equalize in the final minute and win on penalties against Air Force. In the quarter final Navy faced league champions Solid and after a back and forth battle a late Nalaka Roshan goal gave them a 3-2 win.
Key Battles
Nalaka v Blue Star midfield
Navy is a known for their ball possession and passing. One factor behind that success is Sri Lanka vice-captain and midfield lynchpin Nalaka Roshan. He much like Sankha Danushka and Raumi Mohideen has the ability to control the pace of the match as well as pick out runners with decisive passes. His free-kicks are the crown jewel in his armory and can punish opponents with Beckham-esque free-kicks.
Blue Star doesn’t have any star players in midfield and neither do they have much experience. So the Kalutara based side will have their work cut-out and would need a collective effort to shut down Nalaka led Navy midfield.
Ramees v Sanjeewa
Blue Star captain Ramees will need to bring all his experience to the table to stop Navy forward and Sri Lanka captain Chathuranga Sanjeewa. Navy uses Sanjeewa as a target man in the middle but also drops back in setting up attacks. The tall, powerful Ramees will have the advantage against Sanjeewa in size but need to see that he does not get into a foot race with the Navy forward.
Ajith v Manjula
Ajith Kumara for Navy and Manjula Fernando for Blue Star are former Sri Lanka goalkeepers and known penalty shootout heroes. In this FA Cup knockout they have shown their heroics with Kumara against Air Force saving all three and Manjula against Matara City saving two. Manjula Fernando was the thorn in Navy’s side in last year’s FA Cup semifinal penalty shootout saving two kick.
Watch the match LIVE: http://goo.gl/ZZkfeL
