Ali Thameem
Eydhafushi have won the Baa Atoll tournament in the FAM Futsal Atoll Championship, defeating Thulhaadhoo in the final last night.
The host island and capital of Baa Atoll won it with strikes from Mohamed Fasir (Faatte) and Ishan Hassan (Sattu). Both goals were scored in the span of seconds, in the ninth minute of the first half – both on rapid counterattacks. With an assist from Hussain Shareef, Faatte finished off the first goal. Seconds after restarting, an interception from Shareef led to Eydhafushi widening the lead, as Fasir assisted with Ishan’s goal.
Eydhafushi and Thulhaadhoo both had been the runners-up of their respective groups. Both suffered defeats but managed to narrowly escape the group stage.
Thulhaadhoo reached the final after a narrow 3-2 victory over Group A winners Goidhoo. Thulhaadhoo entered the semifinal as the Group B runners-up. They scored eight goals and conceded eight during the group stage, beating Fehendhoo before suffering a defeat against Dhonfanu.
Atoll Futsal Championship – Baa Atoll heats up, Eydhafushi defeated by Maalhos
As for Eydhafushi, the hosts have had a turbulent run-up to the finals. They were tied with Goidhoo, both on points and on goal-difference, following the group stage games. Both had scored four and conceded four. The group winner was determined by a coin toss. In spite of that, Eydhafushi went on to defeat Dhonfanu in the semifinals.
Both the champions and the runner-ups have unlocked their pathway to the North regional league.
