Sidibari
TFT has been crowned the champions of the Eid Baibalaa Challenge 1446.
TFT – also known as The Futsal Town – huddled inside the ring in the first round of the final against Lorenzo Sports Club.
The first two minutes of the first round went on with neither side scoring a point, but it was no surprise that Lorenzo’s main man Abo was the one to start the action, taking out TFT player with 03:51 on the clock. Abo took out a player each time he re-entered the ring; first Mukki, then Puff. TFT eventually brought down Abo and Mikko in the final seconds.
The first round ended with TFT winning 9-3.
In the second game when TFT played from the outside, Thau took out Rasey after one minute and eight seconds. TFT’s Puff gave them another point seconds later, cartwheeling his way out of the ring. TFT scored a third point and, seconds later, a fallen Eddie took the win home as he touched down outside the ring and eliminated two more Lorenzo players.
With that, TFT won the second round without giving Lorenzo a chance to bring down any of their players.
In a celebratory interview, TFT’s coach Ahmed Nasir gave a shoutout to the players, supporters of TFT, and the organizers of the Eid Baibalaa Challenge. “This is not my first trophy but it is TFT’s very first. This win signifies the importance of obedience to the coach, regardless of who the coach is. I thank all supporters from the bottom of my heart. And lastly, I thank the association for the flawless organizing of the tournament”. Nasir has also been awarded the best coach of this year’s Baibalaa Challenge.
Semifinal – TFT versus Club Kaasinjee
TFT secured a spot in the final after knocking out last year’s runner-up, Club Kaasinjee earlier tonight.
Playing from the inside in the first round, TFT was the first to start scoring and held on to a narrow lead for most of the round. They might have widened the lead even further, but CK’s Hutte managed to eliminate three TFT players simultaneously. TFT continued tackling down CK players, winning the first round in 11-7.
Midway through the second round, TFT had scored four points, all of which were by Ali Hushaam. TFT secured the victory for the round after Mohamed “Bulhaa Mode” levelled the score to 7-7 with 2 minutes and 7 seconds remaining.
Semifinal – Lorenzo versus Zeppo
Lorenzo Sports Club had defeated Zeppo on a tiebreaker in the second semifinal.
Zeppo had won the first round by 6-4, playing from the outside. Lorenzo’s Abdhullah Nishaan, Abo, singlehandedly turned the game around in the second round of the semifinal. It was mayhem every time he entered the ring; Abo took out seven players in under two minutes, taking Lorenzo to the tiebreaker.
Abo himself won the one-on-one challenge in the tiebreaker, and Lorenzo’s Rassey gave Zeppo the final blow, as he dodged past the clutches of Zeppo’ defender to get Lorenzo into the final.
This was Zeppo’s debut year at the Eid Baibalaa Challenge. They were initially seeded into the round of sixteen, having received a ‘bye’ in the first round. Zeppo went on to defeat Club Teenage and Kuda Henveyru Lions before facing Lorenzo tonight.
Lorenzo had defeated TC Fraternity in the round of sixteen and LT Sports in the quarters before meeting Zeppo in the semifinal tonight.
Abu is the new Mister Baibalaa
Runner-up Lorenzo Sports Club’s key player Abdhullah Nishan has won the honor of becoming the Mister Baibalaa 1446.
Eid Baibalaa Challenge 1446, powered by HDC, featured 29 teams and four thrilling rounds of knock-out playoffs. The media partner of this year’s challenge is Sidibari.
