Last night (25), at Colombo’s Racecourse Stadium, Sri Lanka’s football team celebrated a significant victory against Bhutan, ending a drought of wins lasting two and a half years.
In the final match of the FIFA Series 2024 Sri Lanka Edition, Sri Lanka secured a confident 2-0 win over their South Asian rivals.
The game started off quietly with a scoreless first half, but Sri Lanka burst into action in the second half.
Within the first 10 minutes, midfielder Dillon de Silva and defender James Oliver Kelaart scored two decisive goals, leading Sri Lanka to victory.
The excitement began early in the match when Harsha Fernando made a remarkable throw, but James Kelaart’s header narrowly missed the goal.
Despite Sri Lanka gaining a corner opportunity just before halftime, they couldn’t convert it into a goal.
In the closing moments of the first half, midfielder Dillon de Silva made a promising move towards the goal, but with no support, Sri Lanka couldn’t capitalise on the opportunity.
Fortunately, defender Jack Hingert came to Sri Lanka’s rescue, preventing a possible Bhutanese goal.
As the second half commenced, Sri Lanka wasted no time.
Within the first minute, Dillon de Silva scored his first goal for Sri Lanka, giving the home team a 1-0 lead.
Despite several attempts, including another shot from de Silva and contributions from Harsha Fernando, Sri Lanka couldn’t extend their lead until defender James Oliver Kelaart found the net in the 56th minute.
Substitutions were made during the match, with Leon Perera replacing Dillon de Silva in the 74th minute and Rahul Suresh entering the field late in the game.
In the dying stages, veteran player Mohamad Fazal made his last appearance for Sri Lanka, replacing Oliver Kelaart, marking the end of a remarkable international career spanning 53 matches.
As the final whistle blew, Sri Lanka’s captain Sujan Perera made a crucial play to defend against a free kick from Bhutan, securing the well-deserved victory for his team.
The crowd erupted in cheers, celebrating not just a win but also paying homage to a retiring legend, Mohamad Fazal, in an emotional post-match tribute with the players.
(dailynews.lk)
