Air Force edge out Renown 1-0 in thrilling final
Air Force created history last Sunday when they snatched the coveted Dialog Champions League 2013 trophy, for the first ever time, after edging out favourites Renown 1-0 in the final played at the Vernon Fernando Stadium in Kalutara.
This year’s champion’s league competition could be termed as a fully improved one, as it managed to bring back the usual spectator interest into football. As the competition progressed during the past six months, the number of spectators for a match improved as the grand finale attracted a crowd of over 10,000.
The huge number of football fans cheered the thrilling battle between eventual winners Air Force and former winners Renown as football emerged the ultimate winner. The game was so intensive that it managed to keep all spectators guessing until the final whistle. The first opening of the game came from Renown skipper Mohamed Fazal, who scored two goals in semi-final, but could not beat the
Dialog Axiata officials Trinesh Fernando and Harsha Samaranayake present the Dialog Champions League 2013 trophy to Air Force skipper Harsha Fernando watched by FFSL officials Ranjith Rodrigo, Upali Hewage and R. Puvanandiran and the victorious Air Force team
energetic Air Force goalie Ruwan Prabath. A similar opportunity was thwarted by Renown’s Nigerian goalkeeper Lawrence Prince as the halftime ended scoreless.
After the resumption, the game got heartier as Airman Kavindu Ishan sent a volley floating to the left corner top but Lawrence went airborne to save a possible spectacular goal.
But the 55th changed the course of the game, as Dilshan Fernando cleared Renown defender Raja Jenson in the rush to give Kumara Lankeshwara the opportunity of scoring the golden goal, beating Lawrence for the only time in the game, to put Air Force ahead.
Renown made several aggressive moves and penetrated into the Air Force territory, as their only opportunity to equalise through a super bullet from Dilan Jayasuriya hit the goal bar. Hence, ended a thrilling game handing Air Force their first major title in football.
However the Golden Boot Award for Dialog 2013 was won by Mohamed Izzadeen of Army SC. Izzadeen, a national cap had scored 23 goals during the tournament up to the semi-final. Airman Lankeshwara, who scored the vital and solitary goal of the game, was awarded the Most Valuable Player. He won the Golden Ball award. Besides the DCL 2013 trophy, Air Force won a cash award of Rs. 750,000.
The chief guest for the final was Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Trinesh Fernando, General Manager of Dialog Axiata, Harsha Samaranayeka, the Head of Brands and Communications for Dialog Axiata and Football Federation of Sri Lanka chief Ranjith Rodrigo graced the occasion as guests of honour.
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