Soccer Club, Feni and Brothers Union lock horns in the first semifinal of Modhumoti Bank Independence Cup Football at the Bangabandhu National Stadium at 5:00 pm today.
Feni Soccer and Brothers Union have never reached the final of the Independence Cup till date and they will be flexing their muscle to their limit to set a new mark. It is interesting that both the teams ousted superior opponents on their way to the semis. Brothers Union beat Team BJMC 2-1 in the quarterfinals while Feni Soccer ousted defending champion Sheikh Russell in a penalty shoot-out to secure a place in the semis. Both the teams will surely be drawing a lot of inspiration from those victories.
The Gambian trio of Kabba Jobe, Landing Darboe and Mathew Mendy were pivotal as Feni Soccer Club pulled off the upset to throw Russell out of the meet. Tall, nimble and speedy, the trio roams through opposition’s defense while dominating the midfield and making cheeky runs down the flanks, not to mention their admirable composure. Landing has been the most admirable and impressive among them so far.
Brothers Union relies on their quick counterattacks with Jewel Rana and Rubel Miah operating in the midfield and the right flank respectively. The team, clad in orange outfit also fields Nigerian forward Simon to add an extra razor-sharp edge in their attacks. Feni Soccer skipper Ashraful Karim admitted that they will have special plans to cut the supply of Jewel Rana in the midfield.
Brothers Union coach Syed Naeemuddin termed that the match is very important for them. “We respect Feni Soccer and we know that we have to be stronger to win against them. We are aware of their abilities and we hope to put our best and win the semifinal,” said an upbeat Naeemuddin.
His counterpart, the Gambian coach of Feni Soccer, Omar K. Sisse said that his team was looking forward to be in the final. “Reaching the semis is a great achievement for us and we don’t want to stop here. We want to be in the final and I know it’s not going to be easy. We are ready to fight it out,” said Omar.
All in all, a cracking match in prospect as the sports loving nation recovers from the World T20 hangover.