Omer Mashood's brace helps the Devils thrash PAF 4 - 0 in the final to bag yet another tournament for the boys in red.
Football
in the city of Islamabad really picked up during the second week of Ramadan,
and Red Devils F.C found themselves encountering a demanding schedule. The team
benefitted from the return of a few renowned members over the summer, and
entered the 'Indoor Night Ramzan Futsal ' with a strong squad. However,
they suffered their first setback even before a ball was kicked. A strange flu
virus, which had originated from Ahmed
Saqlain Bhatti, spread through the squad. This resulted in the team's all time
leading goal scorer, Harris Qamar, being only 50 percent fit for the first
game, while key player and defender, Usman Mashood, had to completely miss out
the opener. The Red Devils also entered the competition without a recognized
goalkeeper.
On August 9, 2012, the Red Devils kicked off
the tournament against Dagger F.C. Since the tournament followed a knockout
format, there was absolutely no room for error. The Red Devils backline had a
very makeshift look to it, with all three players not playing in their natural
positions. The defense consisted of the summer returnees, Saqib Akbar and
Haaris Ghafoor, while the unfit Harris Qamar volunteered to play in goal. Omer
Mashood and Muhammad Ayaz Mahmood made up a potent strike force. Faizan Sameer Janu was the only substitute
for the game. The devils played some wonderful football, strung move after
move, and hardly let the opposition near goal. The main advantage proved to be
the fact that the Red Devils constantly had five players very comfortable on
the ball, which helped them build every move from the back. Yet, they missed
chance after chance, with Omer and Ayaz being prime culprits. Harris Qamar
joined the attack in the second half as Omer went into goal; however, the game
maintained a similar pattern and ended up being an unpredictably exciting
affair. After missing many chances himself, Harris got on the score sheet. The
flood gates were expected to open after that, but Saqib misjudged a hopeful
long ball from the opposition and the Dagger F.C. striker headed in to
equalize. More unexpected events followed with Dagger F.C. taking the lead. The
goal came under slightly controversial circumstances, as stand-in keeper Omer
Mashood claimed that the whistle had not yet gone for the opposition kick-in;
through which they scored. Few of his teammates supported the claim, however
the goal stood. Red Devils had completely dominated the game, but were now
facing the possibility of an early exit. Janu also made a great impact from the
bench, yet the finishing remained dreadful. When the time came, Ayaz finally
delivered with a timely goal. However, the Red Devils conceded another soft
goal from a corner due to non-existent marking, only to have their blushes
saved by Ayaz once again. The thrilling encounter ended 3-3, and the dreaded
penalty shootout was going to decide the winner. Janu, who himself had a very
fine game from the bench expertly slotted in the first penalty. Dagger F.C
replied with a successful penalty. Haaris Ghafoor stepped up next and
converted. Stand-in keeper for the second half and the penalty shootout, Omer
Mashood, finally made a telling contribution in an unexpected manner by saving
the second penalty. The stage was set for Ayaz to win the game from the spot;
and he duly delivered with a very well placed penalty. Ayaz, who had been
absent lately citing Ghazal practice as a reason, showed once again how lethal he
can be in the indoor format of the game. The Red Devils F.C. literally had
uncountable shots on goal and the lion's share of possession, and should have
won the game convincingly in normal time.
 |
| Faizan Sameer Janu in action on Home Turf |
The next round saw the Red Devil face the
Galacticos. Haaris Ghafoor became the latest victim of the 'Bhatti bug', and
did not consider himself fit to start. However, on a more positive note, Usman
Mashood and Harris Qamar were back to full fitness. This resulted in the
misfiring yet penalty shootout savior, Omer Mashood, starting in goal. Usman
took his place alongside Saqib in defense, while Harris partnered Ayaz in
attack. The Galacticos proved to be tougher opposition initially, showcasing
good skill on the ball and effective short passing. However, the Red Devils
seemed to have learnt from the past game and the presence of Usman in defense
brought back some much needed solidity. The Devils themselves eventually got
into the groove and put together some very attractive moves. However, there was
a similar theme to the game as the buildup play from back to front was
impeccable, yet the finishing was found wanting; as Ayaz and Harris spurned a
few chances. It took a clever sliding finish from the inspirational Usman
Mashood to break the deadlock. From there on, Harris eventually managed to find
his shooting range and completely destroyed the opposition. His goals flattened
the opposition. The arrival of Janu into the game added further zip to the
attack as he himself managed to get on the score sheet, and found himself at
the heart of most moves. Saqib and Usman remained solid in defense and expertly
passed the ball from the back. The night however belonged to Harris, who bagged
an incredible four goals for the night. He beat the opposition goalkeeper from
all angles and finally decided to stop inflicting misery on them by
substituting himself in the last few minutes of the game. Furthermore, the Red
Devils kept their first clean sheet of the tournament.
The tournament threw in some its own share of added
drama for the next round, as the Red Devils got drawn against rivals, and very
noisy neighbors, USGC. Red Devils F.C. had to say goodbye to one of their
pioneering members, Saqib Akbar, for the summer. He had been an integral part
of the team for this tournament. However, the timely recovery of Haaris Ghafoor
made for a very impressive starting lineup. Another very pleasant and timely
entry to the team came in the form of goalkeeper and new signing Saud Abbas.
His presence had been eagerly awaited for a while, and the Red Devils were more
than happy for him to make his debut at such a crucial stage of the tournament.
As history has shown, the farther the Red Devils reach in a tournament, the
more dangerous they become. And with the added element of playing against a
rival, The Red Devils came to the party in style and put on an absolutely mesmerizing
display. Just when one thought that Harris Qamar could not top his previous
display, he tormented the opposition with another four goals. Faizan Sameer
Janu, who had not failed to make an impact in any previous game of the
competition, came on with devastating effect as well and bagged a hat-trick of
his own, silencing some noisy boys with a cool 'index finger on the lips'
celebration. That was not all, Ayaz Mahmood also put on his own show with an
expertly taken brace. The match ended with a devastating score line of 9-3 to
the Red Devils. The defense again proved to be solid when required, and the
buildup play from the back to front was a joy to behold. USGC wished they had
stayed home for this one, as they proved to be completely helpless and simply
inferior to the sheer quality of the Red Devils' overall play.
 |
| New boy, Saud, makes an instant impact |
The night of August 13, 2012, promised to be an
exhilarating and dramatic one as the semi finals and final were scheduled for
the same night. In the semi final, Red Devils F.C. faced their toughest
challenge yet, in the form of SOF. For the first time in the tournament, the
Red Devils started with the exact same line up as the previous game. This was
one game, in which every Red Devils F.C. participant became even more thankful
of the fact that Saud turned up for the tournament. Although Devils had the
lion share of the possession, they were constantly hit by smart counter attacks
by SOF and stayed in the game only due to some brilliant saves made by Saud.
The game remained a very tight affair as both teams tried hard to break the
deadlock. Omer Mashood, who also benefitted from Saud's arrival in the way that
he could finally play in attack, made his mark on the tournament in thrilling
fashion. It was only late in the second half, when the Red Devils struck the
first blow through a goal by the goal scoring machine, Harris Qamar. The team
gained momentum after that as Omer showed his trademark dynamism from the bench
and secured a second goal. The opposition finally crumbled after that and conceded
an own goal late on to give the Red Devils a 3-0 win. However, the win was
hardly as convincing as the score suggested and the Red Devils were saved
numerous times by their heroic goalkeeper.
 |
| Team Red Devils F.C |
The final saw Red Devils F.C facing PAF. The
devils had been impressive in all departments during the course of the
tournament, and as a result, confidence was very high prior to the final. This
was evident as they started the game in ascendancy and created great chances straight
away. However, the game took a similar pattern as the first few games, as the
team passed the ball around brilliantly, yet the finishing touch was lacking.
Janu and Harris were guilty of missing quite a few opportunities in the first
half. The pairing of Usman Mashood and Haaris Ghafoor flourished once again, as
they not only defended well but also distributed the ball impeccably from the
back. Things drastically changed with the introduction of Omer Mashood and Ayaz
late in the first half though and the two combined to score a goal each inside
two minutes to help the Devils take a two goal lead at the break. This proved
to be a very dampening blow for the opposition and they never really managed to
get back into the game. After the break Harris Qamar tripled the lead with a
very finely taken goal. Arguably, the player of the day, Omer Mashood,
completed the route with a brilliant fourth, and his second of the game. Saud,
Usman and Haaris kept another brilliant clean sheet as Devils became the only
team to keep three clean sheets in the tournament.
 |
| Perfect depiction of attack and defence doing their jobs |
The Devils have been enjoying yet another
successful summer and continue to stamp their authority across Islamabad and
Rawalpindi. The victory proved to be extra special for Faizan Sameer Janu, as
it came on his home turf. As it is the case with almost every tournament the
Red Devils manage to win, Harris Qamar finished as the team's and competition's
top scorer with 11 goals. However, he was very aptly supported by Ayaz, Janu,
and Omer Mashood in the goal scoring department. It was also a fairytale
beginning to Saud's tenure as he ended up playing such a big and successful
role in such a short period of time to help the team win the cup. He also
proved how beneficial it is to have a specialist goalkeeper for a tournament. Haaris
Ghafoor, Usman Mashood, and Saqib Akbar made up a very solid backbone for the
team and proved to be very impressive with their defending and passing. Apart
from the cash prize, the Red Devils also won a pack of 'Red Bull', and according
to latest reports, most players fought personal battles against insomnia for
days after the Final night.
 |
| Red Devils boast a pack of Red Bull and 20,000 prize money |
No comments:
Post a Comment