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Ratnam beat Saunders 2-1 to regain top position

The replay of the Dialog Premier League Segment A - II game between Ratnam Sports Club and Saunders Sports Club which concluded at CR & FC ground under closed gates saw the Kotahena Club triumph two goals to one.

The earlier game which was played on November 15 at the same venue saw the game end abruptly due to a commotion that took place between the supporters of both sides soon after the interval. Referee had no other option but to call off the game. The tournament committee which met last week decided to replay the game under closed gates.

Ratnam SC who were in top position in this group were pushed to second spot last week and had to wait for yesterday’s result to regain the first place ahead of Air Force which has a total of 16 points. Ratnam’s collection of three points yesterday took their total to 18 points from seven games and are on course to reach the semis.

Yesterday it was Saunders SC who had the control for over 20 minutes. They in fact were seen moving forward with good moves and defending well making their opponent fight hard. The midfielders of Pettah Club did their best to feed the strikers but poor finishing was the drawback for their loss.

If the Saunders strikers did their job well at this early stage they could have taken the upper hand in this game. They missed almost four scoring opportunities which put them under real pressure. Ratnam SC strikers too faultered during the first session after taking control of the game during the half way mark in the first session. Kasun Jayasuriya the highest goal getter last season and his partner E. B. Channa were seen moving well towards their opponents territory regularly. But none could find the net to put their side in front until the 34th minute.

It was a good ball that was sent to Kasun Jayasuriya from the left wing by P. Sachintha Maduranga that got into the net through the boot of Jayasuriya. Sachinta played a vital role from the left for Ratnam SC.

Play continued for eight more minutes with Saunders making a strong come back. But it was once again Kasun Jayasuriya who extended the lead 2-0 in the 42nd minute.

Here it was P. M. M. Murshid who masterminded the move from the right, sending another good ball for Kasun to strike for his side. The lemons were taken with Ratnam leading 2-1.

After turnaround the Saunders SC players were seen as a revitalised unit. They were in full control of the game, having most of the possession. The Pettah boys never allowed the ball to come close to their goal area with the mid-fielders doing a fine job to feed the frontliners. But all their efforts were fruitless as the strikers failed to find the correct aim.

Ratnam SC failed to put much pressure and were never seen going on the attack. The few times they got closer to the opponents goal were considered as off-sides by the referees. If these were not detected Ratnam could have added more to their score. However just ten minutes away from the final whistle D. S. Dharmapala moved from the right wing and sent a neat pass to Tharanga Kumara who made no mistake with the kick to reduce the lead 2-1.

Just two minutes of play left, Saunders missed a golden opportunity to score and level the tally. If they had scored and draw yesterday’s game, Ratnam could not have reached the top but would have stayed on equal terms with Airmen with 16 points.

Referee M. K. Ranjith controlled the game well but had to pull the yellow card twice to warn a player each from both sides. This weekend Ratnam will face lowly placed Java Lane and is sure to add three more points with a win here.

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