Shifa Al Jazeera Star defeated Digitech Corniche Soccer 2-0 in the crucial league match of 5th Keli Football Tournament at the Al Asima Stadium, Riyadh on Friday.
Star opened the account, scoring in the very first minute through Mujeeb Vazhakkad. Star struck again though striker Afsal a few seconds before half time and increased the lead. Star's goal scorer Afsal was declared the Man of the Match.
In another thrilling group B encounter Classic Restaurant ACC downed Shifa Herbal Kerala Eleven by a solitary goal. ACC played with more determination and quickly settled to the rhythm as they controlled the midfield and held more of the ball possession throughout the match. ACC’s winning goal came off through Safir as he dribbled two opponents and forayed into the box; had no problem in netting. The win helped ACC's existence in Group B. The result put league equation more crucial and the remaining group matches would be vital for all teams in Group B.
Eight teams are vying for honors in this premier inter-club event of the South Asian expatriates on a league-cum-knockout basis which opened at Riyad last Friday. Matches are scheduled for every Friday and the final will be on June 12.
The Keli Football 2009 carries a prize purse of SR 25,000, with the champion set to bag SR 10,000. Runner-up will get SR 7,000 while SR 8,000 will be divided among other participating teams according to their tournament standings, besides individual prizes for outstanding performers. Bumper prize of 25 gold coins from Safa Makkah Polyclinic and 10 gold coins from Dr. Shameer Polyclinic are other major attractions.
Keli has announced financial support for Sports & Education Promotion Trust (SEPT), which was started in 2004 in Calicut, Kerala. Currently, SEPT has soccer nurseries in 23 centers at rural, urban, tribal and coastal regions of Kerala.
The Teams participating are: Shifa Al Jazeera Star
Digitech Corniche Soccer Alkhobar
Classic Restaurant ACC
Shifa Herbal Kerala Eleven
Rukkie's Tea Rimal Soccer
Mt. Everest Nepal Eleven
Royal Travels Rainbow
Mumtaz Chaliyar
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Sunday 10 May 2009, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.