Sportscope

Lankan soccer hits a new high!

Elmo RODRIGOPULLE

Sri Lanka soccer hit a new high with the national soccerites emerging unbeaten in the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup Qualifying 2009 tournament conducted here.

Thus the Lankans qualified to play in the next round of this tourney. Considering the uncharitable criticism that the game and the administration has taken in recent times, moving to the next round is quite creditable.

When the Pakistanis, Brueni and Chinese Taipei were slated to play here and contest for a place in the next round, it was not going to be easy for the locals.

But that they brushed aside Brueni by five goals to one, Chinese Taipei 2-1 and held Pakistan to a draw 2-all speaks volumes for their determination to move ahead and silence their critics.

The big boss of Sri Lanka Football Manilal Fernando at a recent media conference said that new things have been put in place to see to the forward march of the game. He further elaborated and said that a new coach in former Sri Lanka skipper Sampath Perera has been put in-charge of the team.

This move to put a local in-charge of the sport was welcome in all football circles and signalled the death of involving foreigners as coach of the national team.

Apparently this admirable move by the FFSL had prompted Sri Lanka Cricket to adopt a similar strategy, with the SLC making it known that they would be looking to appoint local coaches to train the national team.

To the qualifying tourney and the Lankans opened in style by brushing aside Brueni 5-1 with the dangerous striker Kasun Jayasuriya ramming home four goals including a hat-trick. They dominated the game from the first whistle and the result was a foregone conclusion.

Had to fight tooth and nail

Then in the second game they were up against a formidable Chinese Taipei team and had to fight tooth and nail to finally clinch victory by 2 goals to 1 after leading 2-0 at half time.

Here again Jayasuriya maintained his good form pushing in a goal with the other one coming from Ruwanthileka. But what happened during the closing stages of the game where Jayasuriya had a spat with the referee was to say the least unsporting, unacceptable and an incident that should have no place in the game.

When one of the Sri Lankan players were fouled and was being attended to, Jayasuriya began apparently an argument with the referee and something serious would have happened and the next moment spectators watched in disbelief Jayasuriya being shown the red card and given marching orders, which meant that he was out of the crucial game against Pakistan.

Now that was a great setback considering that the Lankans had to draw or win against Pakistan who were going to be formidable opponents and that required the presence of Jayasuriya in this decider.

Why Jayasuriya, knowing what his presence meant to the Sri Lanka team had to act in such an irresponsible manner was inexplicable. Accepted that he got involved with the referee in the heat of the moment. But excuses however good cannot be accepted at this level.

Had the Lankans missed out of going further ahead in the tournament, the blame for this would fall fairly and squarely on the penetrative strike. But thanks to the team who did not seem to be deterred by the absence of Jayasuriya and who played their hearts out, the Lankans were able to hold the Pakistanis which meant that they were deservedly through to the next round.

A wag seated next to me, when Jayasuriya was shown the red card and was marching out said in jest: "Jayasuriya usually uses his head to net in goals. But this time round he used his brains" did I not enjoy that.

Valuable player

Being the most valuable player in the team Jayasuriya need not have been told. He has been in the game for long to know that what he did would have earned him a red card.

It is said that experience is the great teacher. We hope Jayasuriya gets the point.

The final game in the tournament between hosts Sri Lanka and Pakistan was going to be a nail-biter. The Lankans drew first blood in the first minute when Ruwanthilaka headed in a superb spot kick from Maduranga.

That was the elixir that the Lankans needed. From that moment the game opened out with some top class soccer being witnessed what with this game being a make or break one.

The Lankans missed more chances, with the Pakistanis too being unsuccessful with their attempts.

After the break with the Lankans hanging on to their slender lead, midway the Pakistanis struck back and equalised through Safi Ullah and Mohammed Rashil gave them the all important lead. That meant that the Pakistanis would be through to the other round.

`Api Evari' shouted former DIG Gamini Randeni now in the swim of things in the game's administration in disappointment. The Lankan supporters who were shouting themselves hoarse until then, went silent unable to come to terms and accept what had happened.

Then when everything seemed lost for Sri Lanka bar the shouting, Dimu Hettiarachchi breathed life into the players and the spectators when he timely headed a goal to draw level and put the Lankans into the next round. A draw or a win was what the Lankans required. The happiest man seen leaving the venue was Manilal Fernando sporting that contended smile. He had every reason to smile.