Ali Thameem
Debutants Odi Sports Club are the champions of the most prestigious football tournament in Maldives, the President’s Cup 2026.
The defending champions Maziya were the team to take the lead just three minutes into the game. A long diagonal ball by Hussain Sifaau had bounced through the Odi defense line and found Naiz Hassan, who fired in a volley from the left.
Odi were quick to get back in the game, as Keanu Marsh-Brown tapped in a loose ball from inside the six-yard box, equalizing within ten minutes.
Neither side was able to break the stalemate in the seventy five or so minutes that followed till the full time whistle.
The penalty shootout saw a total of fourteen kicks. Maziya could have sealed the win in the fourth kick. Hamza, Ilan, and Mammadzada all had successfully converted their shots. Goalkeeper Hussain Shareef then saved penalties from both Ibrahim Waheed and Mohamed Rasheed.
In a surprising turnover, Odi goalkeeper Mohamed Shafeeu saved the kicks from Ibrahim Aisam and Ahmed Aiham (Fatho), as Keanu Marsh-Brown and Islam Fekry kept the shootout alive by scoring in their respective attempts for Odi. After Regan Obeng and Ganiu Atanda Ogungbe put in their respective kicks, Maziya’s Hussain Sifaau failed to score as Shafeeu stopped the third penalty of the shootout for Odi.
With the trophy just one kick away yet again, Ahmed Aiham (Aihu) stepped up, and fired low and hard as Odi Sports Club sealed the President’s Cup trophy on their debut season.
Odi had to settle for silver in both the League Cup held last May, and in the Dhivehi Premier League that followed. Both of those trophies were claimed by a seemingly invincible Maziya Sports and Recreation.
With two silvers and a gold medal – and the FA Cup yet to be played – Odi Sports Club are having one of the greatest debut seasons in the history of Maldivian Football.
Speaking in a post-match interview, Odi SC Coach Andres Garcia Soler reflected on the rivalry with Maziya, the big chances, and what it means to manage the crew:
Our team is incredible. We tried to bring this fighting mentality from the start.. And today, we get the dream.
When asked about the newborn rivalry with Maziya, the coach said:
“But I think the two games we played in the league, we’ve been so close (to winning). And for today, we prepared for the game knowing that if we control this more of the time, we have very big chances to win.. then we did, and the trophy is for us – Andreas Garcia Soler
Speaking of players, Garcia stated that training Odi players through their debut season was a pleasure, and that the players have become more like family to him; ” (They) are fantastic.. are part of my family.. are like my sons. Sometimes I may (be) a little bit of a (expletive) with them.. but they are (like) part of my family, and it has been a pleasure for me, working with them”.
