(UTV|COLOMBO) – Colombo Football Club playing in the third game of the AFC Cup 2019 held strong Chennaiyin Football Club to a nil all draw yesterday at the Race Course ground in Colombo. The first half saw Colombo FC in control of the game for nearly 25 minutes. During this period they missed around three scoring opportunities M.N.M. Fazal, Chalana Chameera and Seka Jean Yapo missed these chances.
Throughout the first half locals were able to hold the opponents from penetrating the Colombo FC’s goal with the defense line doing a great job. In the meantime locals also went on the attack on many occasions but failed to find the right target to score. However the visitors never were comfortable in controlling the ball and had to work hard to get themselves settled as one unit to go on the attack.
With around 15 minutes left for the breather Chennaiyin FC front liners tried their best to go past the defense of the Colombo FC to score and to get the most needed lead to be in front but all their efforts were thwarted by the goalie and the back division. With both teams failing to score they returned to the pavilion for lemons minus any scoring.
The second session of the game commenced with the local team coming out with confidence and did their best as was in the first half going on the attack. Still they failed to get to the right target to score. Chennaiyin somehow held their fort not allowing the locals to score.
Fifteen minutes away from the final whistle Chennaiyin came back strongly to attack the goal on many occasions but they were not successful and had to fight further with everything they had in store. During this time Colombo FC too had scoring opportunities from which they too failed to take good use of. The final whistle was blown by Jordanian Referee Mohammad Hasan Mahmood Arafah with a blank score card on the board.
Colombo FC’s Priyantha Kumara the coach speaking after the game said that his team played well to hold the Chennaiyin FC to draw in the first leg on home soil as they did against Bhutan two weeks ago and went on to win the second leg in Bhutan under difficult weather conditions. He was confident that in India the weather will be quite different to our local conditions but our boys got used to play in cold conditions and said they will do the same during their second leg in Ahmadabad next week.
Joihn Grgory the coach of Chennaiyin noted that his boys failed to deliver the expectations due to hot conditions that prevailed here yesterday. It was proven beyond doubt when they came up well when the sun was setting down my boys always play under light and cold conditions. When we meet in the second leg I hope my boys will come up with a better performance to challenge the Colombo Football Club to make a good win.
Courtesy: DN Sport
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