Heated FA Cup semi-final clashes on the cards today

by Indika Welagedara

The final four groups at the Cargills Food City, FA Cup will be worked off at the Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo today and a competitive brand of football is on the cards for the football loving public.

Defending champions, Army will take on 'giant killers', Colombo FC at 4pm.

Army met Up Country Lions in the quarter-finals and credit must go to the brave Up-Country Lions lads for not allowing a run-a-way victory to Army, where they held the formidable defending champions till the 40th minute until Mohammad Issadin broke the line and found the net for Army to make it one-nil at half time.

Defending champions, Army had to wait until the 80th minute where Silva had a brilliant double pass to get Issaddin to score his second goal to make the final score to two-nil in favour of Army.

On the other hand, giant killers Colombo FC beat the much fancied Saunders FC by four goals to two to enter the semi-final.

Colombo FC, the runners-up of the champions league this year, had to contain with one-all at half time.

After the break, Colombo FC opened scoring through KAD Madusanka in the 73rd minute of second half, followed by goal through JS Morais in the 78th minute and Dimithri again to make it four-one.

In the last minute, Saunders scored a consolation goal to make the final score four goals to two.

In the second semi-final, Navy will take on Blue Stars at 7pm. Navy met solid in the quarter-finals and won the closely-fought out match by three goals to two.

For Navy, Christin Fernando, AP Lakshitha and AN Roshan scored three goals to seal the match for Navy.

Solid, the champion league winners gave a torrid time to Navy with their fast and furious play where TJ Wijesinghe and AG Stoja excelled by scoring goals for the losing Solid team.

Blues Stars stormed into the semis, when they edged out Matara City FC in the penalty shootout where Blue Stars reserved goal keeper Manjula Fernand saved the day for soccer-crazy fans in Kalutara when he saved the day for them by saving two penalties out of three, to take Blue Stars to the semi-final.

At full time, the scores were deadlocked nil-all.