The Devils beat Piranhas 3 - 1 in the final to clinch the title and winning prize worth Rs. 1.6 Lakhs.
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| Sameer Hussain lifts the inaugural Pepsi Cup 2012 for the Devils |
The tournament, organized by Metro in association with Pepsi, saw 24 top teams from Rawalpindi and Islamabad battle it out for the major honours. Red Devils F.C fielded two teams for the tournament, Legends and Superstars. The eventual winners, Red Devils F.C Superstars, were placed in the group of death alongside the eventual runners up Piranhas but the team showed great character and willpower to finish top of the Group with 4 wins and a draw from their 5 group games. Legends, on the other hand, won all 5 of their group games to finish top of the group.
The knock-out round of the tournament saw Legends play Piranhas in the match of the quarter finals which the legends lost on penalties after the game finished 2-2 at full time. Superstars, on the other hand, streamed through their Quarter and Semi Final to set up a final clash with Piranhas. The group match between the two had finished 1-1 after the ever inspirational Usman Mashood scored a scorcher from half way line late in the second half to equalize the score and send the Superstars top of the table.
Red Devils F.C Superstars, under the leadership of Sameer Hussain, started the Final on the ascendency with their defender Mateen Mehmood opening the scoring in the very first minute with a brilliant strike from half way line. Midway through the first half, Piranhas equalized through their inspirational playmaker Mustafa. The joy for Piranhas was short lived though as the Devils restored their lead through one of the goals of the tournament. Devils striker Omer Mashood recovered the ball in his own box and went on an inspired run beating two Piranhas players before putting in a perfect through ball for Sameer Hussain to finish. In the second half, the Devils extended their advantage through a brilliant strike by Sameer Hussain. The remainder of the second half saw the Devils defend resiliently to deny the Piranhas strike force of Mustafa, Murtaza and Ahmed any opening.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the Devils had won their first, and arguably the biggest, tournament of the year.
Omer Mashood finished the tournament as the top scorer with 17 goals. A jubilant Sameer Hussain collected the Pepsi Cup 2012 and Rs. 1.6 Lakhs on behalf of his winning team.
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| Red Devils F.C Superstars - Champions of Pepsi Cup 2012 |
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