Triple football championships for Gateway
View(s):Gateway College, Colombo once again demonstrated their dominance in the recently concluded Under-20 Inter-International Schools Football Tournament, held at Gateway College ground in Ratmalana. From the outset, Gateway showcased exceptional control, with their formidable midfield trio—Zaki Ashraff, Ahamed Hijaazy, and Aidan Perera—dictating possession. Their creative attacking play and relentless pursuit of goals resulted in an impressive 24 goals scored across the tournament, with Aidan emerging as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals.
Goals were evenly distributed among the team, with midfielder Humaidh Irshad contributing five, striker Dulina Wickremasinghe adding four, and Ahamed netting three. Defensively, Gateway was impeccable, as their backline remained unbreakable throughout the tournament, securing their sixth consecutive championship title without conceding a single goal.
The tournament began with Gateway asserting their dominance early, routing Colombo International School, Colombo 6-0 in their opening group game. They then sealed the top spot in their group with a commanding 4-0 victory over Lyceum International School, Wattala. The knockout stages saw Gateway maintain their scoring momentum, defeating Royal Institute 2-0 in the quarter-finals and overwhelming Gateway College, Kandy 7-0 in the semi-finals. The final was a one-sided affair, with Gateway cruising to a comfortable 5-0 victory over Stafford International School.
Gateway’s well-organised midfield and attacking line were in scintillating form throughout the competition. Ahamed was named player of the tournament for his commanding performances in midfield, while Zaki was awarded player of the final. Aidan clinched the golden boot, and Anuk Dassanayake earned the title of best goalkeeper award for his stellar displays between the posts.
Gateway, Colombo continues to reign as the international schools football champions, having now secured eight Under-20 championships in the last nine years. Additionally, for the second consecutive year, Gateway has completed the triple, finishing the season as the reigning Under-16, Under-18, and Under-20 international schools football champions.
1st row (from left): Jayanthi Somasekaram de Silva (Head of Sports), Wipula Chandrasiri (Team Leader, Sports Development), Thaj Riza (Vice Captain), Dr. Harsha Alles (Chairman, Gateway Group), Zaki Ashraff (Captain), Vinita Shenoy (Principal), James Heath (Head of Football and Head Coach), Dinuka Dhananjaya (Senior Coordinator, Football) 2nd row (from left): Dulina Wikremasinghe, Nasir Zuhry, Hamood Rizwan, Sabith Iqbal, Aidan Perera, Nadal Senapala, Matheesha Wijesekera 3rd row (from left): Humaidh Irshad, Ayoob Faham, Rehan Jayesingha, Hunan Haleem, Nikaash Govindan, Ihsaan Faleel, Althaf Ahmed, Nusraan Nazeer, Raziel Ameen