Ali Thameem
New Radiant Sports Club has earned a crucial victory over Buru Sports in tonight’s game of Dhivehi Premier League.
Both Buru and New Radiant were equal on points, as the two faced each other in the last game of week twelve. Buru had been on a five-game unbeaten run, while New Radiant were looking for a return to form following last week’s defeat against Victory SC.
New Radiant opened the scoring with a 34th-minute goal by Hassan Raaif, to whom Ali Fasir assisted. Although Buru had more frequent goal-scoring opportunities, they were unable to convert.
First half ended 1-0. The New Radiant captain, Ali Fasir, went on to score twice, early on in the second half. Capitalizing on Buru defenders’ failed clearance of a long ball, Fasir fired a low ball from the left side of the penalty box and into the far corner of the net.
Three minutes later, Fasir scored again – Hassan Raaif returned the favor for Sentey with a sublime cross from the right flank. Sentey feinted the close-range volley. Instead, he controlled inward, took on two Buru defenders, and fired into the far post once again.
With three goals and a clean sheet, it was a special night for the Blues for another reason. A forty-year-old Ali Ashfaq braced the pitch in the 80th minute, returning to the DPL after recovering from a knee injury that put him off form for years. New Radiant’s legendary striker was greeted back with rounds of applause by their fans on the bleachers.
The three points from tonight’s win helped the Blues climb to 23 points. The Blue still have a five-point difference to catch up with second-placed Odi and eleven points between them and the table leaders, Maziya.
Buru Sports Club had won four out of the past five games before tonight’s clash. They had defeated United Victory twice. They defeated Club Valencia and Club Eagles before the unbeaten run came to a halt tonight. It was New Radiant who handed Buru its most recent defeat (2-1) in the first week of November.
