Seychelles book final berth

Seychelles reserved their berth in the grand finale of the four nations inaugural international invitation soccer tournament for the ‘Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy’, after forcing a nil-all draw against Maldives at the Race Course grounds yesterday.

A win and two draws (including yesterday’s game) enabled Seychelles to earn five points to top the points table and to play in the final which will take place on Friday at the same venue. It was a must win situation for both teams. Maldives were desperate for a win after losing one and drawing the same number of matches, which earned them just one point. After their victory over hosts Sri Lanka, Seychelles earned three points, while obtaining a point with a draw in their first match. They came into this game with four points and were desperate for another point, which they managed rather convincingly in the end.

Both teams fought hard to get the upper hand under wet and soggy ground conditions. Maldives dominated possession in the first half, but the end result was a barren score sheet at the short whistle.

After the turn around, once again it was a ding-dong battle for supremacy, but after some anxious moments neither side was able to break the deadlock, and the scoreline remained nil-all which ultimately favoured Seychelles and ousted Maldives from the fray.