Dhaka, Dec 11:
Maldives reached their second successive final of the SAFF Championship with stern warning for their opponents in Sunday’s final when the defending champions brushed aside Sri Lanka 5-1 in the first semifinal of the 2009 edition of the regional competition at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Friday.
Two-goal Ibrahim Fazeel inspired the Maldives although the early stages showed the sign of a competitive clash with Sri Lanka showing more attacking instincts. Sri Lankan forwards Kasun Jayasuriya and Ediri Channa ventured dangerously around the opposition area and initiated a number of attacks.
But Maldives stood firm against the Lankan onslaught and gradually returned back to the game. Ahmed Thoriq almost gave Maldives the lead in the 15th minute sneaking through the left flank with an Ashfaq long ball but his fierce grounder deflected off a defender with the Lankan custodian stranded in the far post.
Thoriq continued his dominance in the opposition defence and in the very next minute saw his header of an Ashfaq cross crash into the sidepost allowing Sri Lankan goalie Sadish Kumar to pick the ball.
But Thoriq, the Maldives livewire, duly broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. Nasser Mukhtar returned the low corner to Ashfaq who curved it perfectly for Thoriq and the lanky forward rose over his marker to head the ball into the roof of the net.
The professionals from Maldives showing no signs of complacency continued the onslaught and Ashfaq was unfortunate in the 31st minute when his delicate touch on a Thoriq cutback beat Sadish Kumar but missed the goal by a few inches.
Sri Lanka came out with all guns blazing after the resumption and reaped the fruit of their hard work in the 62nd minute. Kasun Jayasuriya initiated the attack from the midfield and curled a chip for Channa in the middle of the box. Channa with all the experience behind him blasted a fierce left footer into the far post from an acute angle.
But the Sri Lanka’s joy live less than two minutes as Sadish Kumar started the team’s downfall. Ibrahm Fazeel powered his way through the midfield and seeing he is outnumbered by the Sri Lankan defenders, unleashed a low shot towards Sadish. The harmless ball stunning all the audience went through the hands of Sadish igniting wild celebrations in the Maldives tent.
Sri Lanka shocked by the incident never regained their confidence. Maldives showing no mercy killed off the game with another three strikes in the remaining 25 minutes.
Ashfaq stamped his claim for the player of the tournament for the second consecutive time with the goal of the tourney in the77th minute. Dancing down the left flank, the Maldives captain shrugged off two defenders and put a diagonal shot between the hands of Sadish Kumar from a tight angle.
The Demoralised Sri Lankans conceded the fourth in the 85th minute when Bandara hauled down Ashfaq in the box that resulted in a spotkick and Fazeel hit the back of the net with ease. Substitute forward Ali Assad headed home the fifth in the 87th minute
from the six yard box.