Ali Thameem
The star-studded STO Recreation Club has been knocked out of the King’s Cup in the quarterfinals, as STELCO booked the first spot in the semifinals.
STO, who were last year’s CMC runner-up and the most successful futsal club in Maldives history, had bolstered their squad ahead of this season. They topped Group B without losing a single game. STELCO, on the other hand, narrowly qualified for the knock-outs, having finished in third place in Group C.
Tonight’s game saw a goalless first half. STELCO broke up STO’s goal from a corner kick in the seventh minute of second half, as an unmarked Mohamed Nazaam tapped in from the near post.
STO equalized after five minutes, as captain Mohamed Imran fired in from a free kick. With three minutes left, STELCO took back the lead from a counterattack, as Shuaidh Saeed scored the winning goal that knocked out STO.
STELCO moves to the semifinals, and will take on Cora Cora Maldives on Friday night.
