Ali Thameem
Fuvahmulah City has qualified for the quarterfinals of the Ninety Plus Gold Cup after a coin toss, as unlucky Thimarafushi exits the tournament.
In a special ceremony held this evening to determine the fate of the two teams, the delegate of Fuvahmulah was fortunate to pick the right ball from the draw bowl. Thimarafushi, the sole competitor from Thaa Atoll, has thus said farewell to the Gold Cup.
The two teams had ended Group E on equal results, both on points and on goal advantage. On Monday last week, the two teams went head-to-head in which Thimarafushi broke the winning streak of Fuvahmulah with a 1-1 stalemate.
The two teams have since played and lost against Kaafu Guraidhoo, who went to the quarterfinals on top of Group E, and without conceding a single goal. Both Fuvahmulah and Thimarafushi lost by 1-0 in their respective games against Guraidhoo.
Fuvahmulah had qualified for the second stage of the Gold Cup as not just the group winners, but as one of the best performing teams in the tournament; They had scored a record 19 goals in the first stage, defeating all four of their Group A rivals.
Thimarafushi advanced to the second stage as the third-placed team in Group B. Although they suffered defeats against Male’ City and Eydhafushi, Thimarafushi secured their spot in Group E after their victory over Kendhoo.
