Ali Thameem
Glorious Victory have been crowned Kendhoo Football Challenge 2025 champions after defeating defending titleholders Winners Boys in a tightly contested final decided by penalties.
The match finished 1-1 after full time, sending the game into a dramatic shootout that ended 8-7 in Glorious Victory’s favour.
Rashad Abdhul Matheen, the standout performer of the tournament, broke the deadlock in the 9th minute. After recovering a loose ball on the right flank, Rashad drove forward and fired a low shot into the far corner. He finished the tournament as both the Golden Boot winner and Player of the Tournament.
Winners Boys equalised in the 38th minute through their foreign signing Jerry Ombebe, who timed his run perfectly to tap in a low cross from Mooaz Gaber at the near post.
The second half saw no further goals, and the outcome was settled in a tense penalty shootout that stretched to thirteen kicks. Glorious Victory kept their composure to claim their second Kendhoo title with an unbeaten run, while Winners Boys also reached the final without losing a game.
Undefeated Winners Boys faces Glorious Victory in Kendhoo final
Husaain Shareef of Glorious Victory was named Man of the Match. Despite the defeat, Winners Boys’ goalkeeper, Usman Mohamed Zakariyya, delivered a stellar performance—including a penalty save in the final—and was awarded Best Goalkeeper of the tournament.
This year’s Kendhoo Football Challenge featured just four teams, fewer than the usual seven. The tournament began with a charity match hosted by the Baa Atoll community, raising funds for Palestine through the NGO International Aid Campaign.
