Ali Thameem
The Ninety Plus Gold Cup quarterfinals kick off as Baa Eydhafushi knocked out Lhaviyani Naifaru this evening.
Eydhafushi scored three goals in the first 25 minutes of the first half. The scoring began in the fourth minute; Aiham’s freekick from the right side of the penalty area resulted in an own goal by a Naifaru defender.
The newly fielded Ali Fasir was fouled inside the penalty area in the 13th minute. However, Haisham’s penalty kick was saved by Abdullah Mohamed, the Naifaru goalkeeper. But Ali Fasir added to the early lead just moments later. Aiham’s topspin shot from outside the box in the 21st minute made it 3-0.
The left-footed Mohamed Fasir struck from a tight angle to make it four, twenty minutes into the second half. Ishan’s header in the 71st minute made it 5-0.
Eydhafushi, with their stacked-up squad, had further strengthened the line-up for the quarterfinals, as National Team players Haisham and Ali Fasir started the game this evening. Nishaam Mohamed, who made his first appearance in the last game of the group stage, wore the captain’s armband in today’s game. With Hamza Mohamed substituted in the 67th minute, Eydhafushi utilized all of their National Team players for the first time.
Eydhafushi has been impressing not just on the attack, but their defensive record in the Gold Cup is also remarkable. Baa Brazil have prevented the opposition from scoring a goal for a third game, levelling Male’ City in total number of clean sheets.
Despite an impressive run-up to the quarterfinals, Naifaru exits the tournament with two big defeats to their name; both Addu City and Eydhafushi humiliated Naifaru with a five-goal difference on the scoreboard.
The semifinal opponents of Eydhafushi will be decided tonight, as Male’ City takes on Guraidhoo in the adjacent leg of the knockout bracket.
