JEDDAH, 10 March 2005 — The SIFF-Sadia Soccer 2005 matches on Friday (March 11) were a mix of keen contests and dull patches.
The first division match between Friends Sports and Eranad Club ended in an exciting 3-3 draw. The match was interesting from the kick-ff and both teams showed excellent ball control. The match never offered a dull moment to spectators, as both sides were quick to take control of the ball from each other.
It was in the 19th minute of the match that Sahul Hameed of Friends hit a long-range carpet shot straight into the nets, thus giving his team the vital lead until the breather. It was in the second half of the match that fortunes swung from one team to the other. In the 40th minute, Anwar Sadath of Eranad gave a pass to Faisal who made no mistake in giving his team the equalizer.
In the 44th minute, Friends led the tally 2-1 when Shereef Mon netted a goal. The lead increased in the 55th minute when Riyaz Abdullah of Friends showed an excellent ball control and netted it single-handedly. It was then almost taken for granted that victory was on the cards for Friends, but not so. In the 64th minute, Faisal scored the second goal for his team, followed by Shihab who converted a long-range pass from Muneer within the next five minutes. Friends’ winger Sahul Hameed received the man of the match prize. Abdul Majid Padar, Consul (Haj), was the chief guest.
In the B division match between Blue Star-B and MES, the former beat the latter 3-0. It was a one-sided game as the score shows. Ali Mon, Towfiq and Mossa scored a goal each for Blue Star-B. Ali Mon was the best player of the match. Mohan Kumar, a business executive, was the chief guest.
In the first match of the interschool tournament played on the day, International Indonesian School defeated Al Mawarid International School 1-0 in a keenly contested game. Nizar Fikri scored the match winner for Indonesian School and was adjudged the best player of the match. Chief guest was C.P. Saleem of IDB and Muslim Education Society.
Referees were Yaqoob, Khalid and Ishaq, all Saudi.
Matches for next Friday (March 11): IISJ vs Young Challengers in 2nd division (4.30 p.m.), and YAS Club vs Malabar Sports Club in 1st division (6 p.m.).
