Ali Thameem
With Wednesday night’s semifinal victory, Club Eagles have made a strong statement; they are not to be undermined. Two goals from midfielder Shamhaan helped Eagles reach the final of FAM Youth Championship for a record eighth time.
Carrying on the legacy of being the most successful club in Maldivian youth football history, they have proven how Eagles are the same “apex predators with an appetite for glory” today as they were a decade ago. Their semifinal win was no ordinary task, TC Sports Club had been on an unbeaten run since the start of last year’s Youth Championship.
With the 2-0 win over the defending champions, Eagles set themselves up against Maziya Sports and Recreation for tonight’s final .
Green Boys and Black Eagles – A trip down the memory lane
Since the start of FAM Youth Championship in 2011, Eagles and Maziya have remained the only two clubs to compete in every single one of the 12 editions that followed. The two clubs are also the ones to make the most appearances in Youth Championship finals.
Although 2025 marks the fourth time that Maziya compete in the finals, they haven’t won the trophy since the inaugural tournament fourteen years ago.
In 2012, defending champions Maziya were knocked out by Victory SC on penalties, after fumbling the lead in the 91st minute.
Eagles, who were knocked out in the group stage in the maiden Youth Championship, made an undefeated run-up to the final in 2012. They had their hands on the trophy, leading the score-line, until Victory SC turned game around with three minutes on the clock.
Two more seasons passed until Eagles made it to a final; In 2013, both Maziya and Eagles — despite topping their respective groups — were knocked out in the quarterfinals.
After four years chasing the trophy, Eagles qualified for the final of 2014 and faced Maziya, who had fought their way up to reclaim what they lost. The two clubs faced each other for the very first time at the youth level.
In that final, a new rivalry was born. Eagles won the battle as Mohamed Muslih (Mutti)’s goal separated the two at full-time. Eagles finally won their first gold medal, winning the trophy without breaking the streak of clean sheets for the entirety of the campaign.
Young Eagles, flying above all else
The glory of 2014 turned out to be the start of a golden era of youth football for Club Eagles.
They went on to win the title in four of the next five Youth Championships.
On the other hand, Maziya’s youth team – despite the rising prominence of the senior team – struggled to find glory for years to come. In 2016, Maziya won the fair play trophy but the young Green Boys were overwhelmed by newly promoted side TC in the semis.
In 2017 when only four teams competed, Eagles and Maziya clashed in the early stages for the very first time. While the league-stage fixture ended a goalless draw Maziya grabbed the top spot on goal differentials as both clubs tied on points with seven each.
The final of 2017 ended in a 1-1 stalemate at full-time, although Maziya were leading at the break. Ibrahim Atheeq Hassan’s goal gave them the lead just before half-time. The game had to be settled on penalties after Ahmed Tholaal’s equalizer on the 87th minute. The resulting shootout, which saw 15 penalty-kicks, ended with Eagles outsmarting Maziya, and snatching the title from them once again.
While Maziya got knocked out in 2018 as well, Eagles reached the final yet again, but lost the trophy to Club Green Streets.
Maziya’s downfall in Youth Football reached a new low in 2019, as they ended up fourth in the group stage with just one win and three losses. Eagles, however, topped the group with four wins in four games. They went on to reclaim the title, defeating TC Sports Club in the final with a first-half goal from Mohamed Azumoon separating the two teams.
In 2022, the young Eagles did once again – as they did in 2014 – what no other club managed to do; win the Youth Championship unbeaten and without conceding a single goal. They did it while being relentless up front, scoring 19 goals in total.
Meanwhile, Maziya failed to escape the group stage once again, falling in third behind Eagles and SUS.
Can Maziya finally redeem themselves?
It’s been a long and painful fourteen years for the young green boys. Last year’s championship saw Maziya compete in the knockout stage for the first time in half-a-decade. Although they were defeated 2-1 by TC in the semis, it turns out to be less of a let-down and more of a stepping stone on an up-hill journey.
And they did manage to climb up. Today, Maziya are in a Youth Championship final for the first time in eight years.
What stands between Maziya and the trophy — the prize they longed for since 2011 — is a flock of Eagles. Club Eagles, the very thing that knocked Maziya out in the final of 2014. The very club that knocked Maziya out in the final of 2017.
Although Eagles remains a formidable title-contender, Maziya’s youth squad appears to be in the best possible shape to break their own curse; they’ve scored eighteen goals on an unbeaten run to the final.
Maziya face the final knowing they got what it takes to defeat any club. They got the speed and firepower in attack – the likes of Ilaan, Anoof, Alson and Nassah who could find a way around any defense line, even a fortress like that of Eagles.
As they approach tonight’s final, Maziya may bring with them a psychological advantage from their group-stage victory over Eagles in the championship’s opening match, while Eagles might find it a lingering source of concern.
Nevertheless, just ninety minutes of football separate these two from the Youth Championship trophy. When it comes to Youth Championships and glory, Eagles can always seem like a favorite; they have the chance to reclaim the trophy they lost last season. They managed it before, they can do it again.
Maziya has got the challenge they’ve been fighting for. They could either let past slip-ups come back and haunt them, or they could rise to the occasion – as their senior team does so often – put that fourteen years of misery in the past, lift that trophy and finally yell out “We are so back!!”
