St. Benedict’s pull off 3-2 win on penalties in Cup Final
Gateway College won the Fair Play Trophy
After a grueling final which ended scoreless at fulltime, St. Benedict’s College pulled out a 3-2 win on penalties to overcome Hameed Al-Husseinie College in the Cup final and clinch the Zahira Super 16 Soccer Tournament held at Maradana last Sunday.
By the time the Cup final reached its fulltime St. Benedict’s had done all the hard work to thwart Hameed Al-Husseinie (HAH) from registering a possible win, mainly due to the efforts of the Bens goalkeeper Sharon Fernando. Sharon was able to block a certain goal, which could have sealed a possible win for HAH in the 22nd minute, which came from the boots of striker Mohamed Musheed off a straightforward penalty. After the game ended in a scoreless draw, Sharon then went on to prevent three goals as St. Benedict’s took the upper hand in the penalty shootouts with a tally of 3 goals to 2. Sharon’s impeccable performance as the Bens custodian earned him the Best Goalkeeper and Player-of-the-Cup final awards.
The bulk of the tournament, which was played through seven days from October 15, was affected by torrential rain, but the final day on October 21, the tournament had the blessings of the weather gods. Hosts Zahira College won the Third Place Playoff after recording a commanding 4-0 win against Hindu College. Zahira’s M.M.M. Mushfir, who netted four goals during the competition, was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament.
Zahira’s M.M.M. Mushfir won the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament award
Maris Stella College beat Wesley College 1-0 to annex the Plate championship of the competition. The Bowl final was a far engaged battle between St. Joseph’s College and Lumbini College, who were equally matched sides. Eventually the Josephians went on to win the battle and claim the Bowl title by 4-3. De Mazenod College beat Royal College Colombo 1-0 to claim the Shield championship. Gateway College were presented with the Fair Play Trophy, for their conduct throughout the tournament.
The reformed Zahira Super 16 Soccer Championship 2017 kicked off at two venues in Colombo — City League and Zahira grounds, Maradana. Eight matches each were scheduled for three days from Sunday to Tuesday before the tournament moved to the second stage and the elimination stage, where the top 10 teams vied in four finals and a playoff.
The format of the tournament, played among 16 invited schools for the past 12 years, was changed from this year, according to the organisers, the Past Prefects’ Association (PPA) of Zahira College, Colombo. Accordingly, the 7-a-side tournament, that was played in a matter of a day, was extended to a seven-day competition and the format will change into a usual, 11-a-side contest with different time durations.
St. Benedict's custodian Sharon Fernando claimed the Best Goalkeeper and Player-of-the-Cup final awards
To entertain the demand, the organisers introduced diverse playing durations for different stages in order to conduct a total of 33 matches during seven days, which included two reserve days. The group stage matches were played as 25 minutes per each half with a break of five minutes while the format differs when it reaches the knockout stage. The semi-finals and finals of Plate and Shield segments were played as 20 minutes per each half with a five minute break. The Cup semi-finals were played as 30 minutes per each half with a 10 minute break while the main final was 35 minutes for each half with a 10 minute break.
The 16 teams that took part in the 13th installment of the Zahira Super 16 Soccer Championship were De Mazenod College, hosts Zahira College, Gateway International, Hindu College Colombo, Hameed Al-Husseinia College, Isipathana College, Lyceum International School, Maris Stella College, Nalanda College, St. Peter’s College, Royal College, St. Benedict’s College, St. Joseph’s College, St. Henry’s College and Trinity College.
The Cup winner of the tournament received the coveted trophy and a cash award of Rs. 50,000. Cool Planet, The Factory Outlet, Bolt Gear, The Traveller have came forward to take on the responsibility of sponsoring the important part of the tournament while the organisers found each participating school team a sponsor, who took care of their expenses.
Action from the competition - Pix by Amila Gamage