Red Devils F.C: Champions

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.