Matara City Club sealed their spot in the quarterfinals by beating Singing Fish, Jaffna 2 goals to 1 at City Football Complex.
We are into the pre-quarter finals of FA Cup 2014/15, as 16 teams battle it out for a place in the final and to take the cup home. Matara City Club played their pre-quarter final against Singing Fish, Jaffna at City Football Complex on Sunday the 14th.
Matara City forward Jhonny Jones kicked off proceedings in this knockout which ought to be a thrilling encounter. Both teams had equal possession right throughout the first half. The boys from Jaffna had their crowd right behind them from the first minute itself. Matara City forwards were on the attack, they manage to create opportunities but failed to capitalize.
Singing Fish on the other hand was not good in their defense but their offense was on the mark. The closest they got to score was when Tony Keddilas crossed the ball into the penalty box which found M Mayuran who failed to find the back of the net. It was an easy chance missed which proved to be costly for the boys from North.
Matara City drew first blood in the 36th minute through a well taken free kick just outside the penalty box by their striker Jhonny Jones. Singing Fish defender was penalized for a hand ball just outside the penalty box, Jones made no mistake as he shot the ball to the top far corner giving no chance to the keeper get in his way.
Matara kept on attacking which made them commit too much in the offense leaving their defense open. Singing Fish capitalized on this opportunity. Matara defender Rusiru Lakshan failed to clear the ball, only managing to give away possession to Singing Fish forwards who counter attacked and won themselves a penalty.
Adevu Issac of Matara City was the culprit for shoving Singing Fish striker M Mayuran inside the penalty box. M Franko didn’t let this chance go begging as he easily found the back of the net just before the stroke of half time. Matara City played a better game but towards the end of the first half momentum was shifted towards the boys from Jaffna.
Half Time: Singing Fish 1 – Matara City 1
Singing Fish came out after break with momentum on their side and the crowd roaring behind them. Matara City on the other hand was feeling heat and the nervousness was showing in their playing. Ten minutes into the second half Matara City started to hit stride again as their main striker Jhonny Jones together with AM Prasanna created few chances for their side.
Possession was mostly held by Matara City. Jaffna boys looked somewhat tired and out of sorts, their passing was awful as they kept giving away possession. Matara City very rarely let their opponents to get inside their territory as they kept attacking and looking for that match winning goal.
Singing Fish’s perseverance came to an end in the 73rd minute when Matara City found that match winning goal. Matara City kept the ball their opponents half until the defenders were out. It was Nuwan Shashikapriya who managed to cross the ball from left extreme; AM Prasanna got himself positioned perfectly to just chip the ball over the keepers head. Crowd was in utter despair as the ball found the back of the net.
With seven minutes left in the game, Singing Fish did not put their heads down but kept fighting till the very last minute. Matara City played smartly in the final few minutes as they kept possession not giving any opportunity for their opponents to come back into the game. Referee decided to give four minutes of injury time but it wasn’t enough for the boys from Jaffna to keep their hopes alive in the tournament. An evenly fought match but Matara City having the last laugh and securing their place in the final 16.
Matara City Coach Indika Thenuwara Speaking to ThePapare.com :
“I’m really happy with our performance today. Singing fish is a good young side and they played well. Even-though we lost some of our players prior to this match due injuries we managed to come out strong today. We will be meeting Blue Stars in our quarter finals, we are hoping to make some changes in the lineup and give it our best in the quarter finals.”
ThePapare Man of the Match – Jhonny Jones ( Matara City )
