- Football boss hails momentous triumph
Forward Leon Perera hammered in a 66th minute goal as Sri Lanka ended its football jinx over fancied Turkmenistan to post a 1-0 landmark victory, in their 2027 Men’s AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers clash at Racecourse Grounds, Colombo yesterday (9).
The hosts controlled the game from start to finish and were unfortunate not to finish off several attacking moves close to the tourists’ goalpost, particularly in the first-half.
At half-time the score was nil all and on the whole Turkmenistan never looked like firing in any goals, as the Lankans defended adroitly and whenever presented with the opportunity attacked the opposition, while not allowing them to settle.
The perseverance and attacking mind set instilled in the Lankans by head coach Abdullah Almutairi ultimately paid dividends, as they created history prevailing over the world’s 138th ranked side for the first time in seven games.
Leon Perera fired in the match-winner when the ball ricocheted off a Sri Lanka player, as the sizable home crowd who had gathered to support the home side erupted in joy at the venue.
Previously Sri Lanka had played six matches against the Central Asian team, with the latter having dominated head-to-head stats by winning five and drawing the remaining fixture 2-2 way back in 2004, during a FIFA World Cup Qualifiers game.
But, yesterday Sujan Perera’s men played cohesive football having learned their lesson in a two-match series against the Maldives last month, and they never allowed the visitors to dictate terms to them.
For the history-making Sri Lankans, skipper and goalkeeper Sujan Perera, forwards Jason Thayaparan, Zahi Addis, midfielders Anujan Rajendram, Geremi Devin, and defender Claudio Matthias stood out on the day.
Sujan Perera in particular who struggled for form in the two-match Asian Super Cup series against Maldives, impressed with his deft collections and smart saves to deny Turkmenistan any goals.
Sri Lanka overall could have won by at least three further goals, but they failed to execute a few attacking moves till Leon landed the killer blow 29 minutes from full-time.
The display by the hosts further underscored their current resurgence in the sport and in FIFA World Rankings, and the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) head Jasvar Umar hailed the effort of his players as being the ‘perfect answer to our critics’.
“We played smart football on the day and managed to break our hoodoo against them (Turkmenistan),” Umar, basking in the glory of his team’s win, told The Daily Morning Sports.
“We never played second fiddle to them and finally broke through for a famous triumph. This is the ultimate answer that can be given to our hoard of critics.”
Umar said the team will not rest on its laurels and prepare even more diligently for the return leg which is to be played in Turkmenistan on next Tuesday (14).
He said Sri Lanka will take confidence into that game from yesterday’s win in Colombo and noted that they will be determined to prove to the footballing world that their home victory is not a fluke by clinching the game in Ashgabat, but under cold and windy conditions.
“Of course the conditions might play a part in that game, but we are now brimming with confidence to build on this superb win and take that momentum further into the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers,” Umar added in an upbeat tone.