Army wins FA Cup after 42 years

by Ranjan ANANDAPPA

The Sri Lanka Army won the FA Cup Championship after a lapse 42 years when they beat Don Bosco SC, Negombo by 2 goals to nil at the final played at the City Football League grounds yesterday.

The soldiers won the Football Association Cup way back in 1969 when they were tagged as Army 'suppers'. Army recorded a convincing 4-0 win over Police in the semi-final while Don Bosco beat Nandimithra SC after a penalty shoot out in the other semi-final.

Nothing spectacular happened at yesterday's final,but a goal scored in each half by Mohammed Isadeen saw the soldiers taking the coveted soccer 'plum' after four decades. Coupled with Isadeen's individual efforts the Army displayed a fine team effort to rattle Don Bosco who had played in a final of this nature for the first time.

Don Bosco displayed early promise at the initial stage of the game by making inroads into the army territory which resulted in a penalty awarded to 'Bosco' when the Army custodian was penalised. But the ensuing penalty was missed by Don Bosco's Manjula Kumara. Thereafter army hit back immediately when Madushan Silva fired across one in the Don Bosco territory for Mohammed Isadeen to lob in one to beat the vulnerable Bosco goalkeeper.

The missed penalty by the Negombo club surely would have demoralised them and if they had made no mistake with the kick it would have changed complexion of the game. But it was not to be as the soldiers began to dominate the proceedings and they went on to score their second goal in similar fashion of the first one with Isadeen this time combining with Fazal to score the second goal. Army led 1-0 at the breather.

G. Niwon Robesh refereed

The Army Commander Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya was the chief guest.