Day two of quarter finals in Mamen Inter School Football Tournaments U-13 saw plenty of goals as Iskandhar and Ghaazee made their way into the semi-finals.

The evening kickoff featured group A runner-ups Iskandhar against their neighbors Aminiya, a side which has been on excellent form in the group stage. Aminiya came into the quarters with an amazing 100% record meanwhile neighbors and one of the most successful sides in this age group, Iskandhar were on the back of two wins and one loss to eventual group winners Dharumavantha which saw them in second place.

Iskandhar kicked things off by making their intentions clear as Yoosuf Ayaan Amir scored five minutes into the games giving them an early lead. Ten minutes from half time their advantage was doubled as Hassan Naavy scored an amazing goal. This result at half time meant there was much to improve by Aminiya if they are to make a comeback. The Aminiya team started the second half a bit better off than where they ended the first as they held Iskandhar team without scoring a goal for a long time in the half. However, Iskandhar showed more class and dominance as they held onto more ball possession and kept a tight defense and midfield. And their work payed off as two quick fire strikes from Yoosuf Aish Mohamed and Yoosuf Ayaan Amir in the 45^th and 48^th minutes saw Iskandhar tighten their grip on the semi-final spot. That was followed by another goal six minutes from full-time whistle by Yoosuf Aish Mohamed who completed his brace and confirmed the semi-final spot in style.

The game that followed saw Ghaazee take on Thaajuddin. Looking at previous performances of both sides, Ghaazee is one of the highest scoring side so far in the competition and has an unbeaten run intact. However that is not the same case with Thaajuddin as they came into the game on the back of a loss, a draw and two wins which saw them earn their spot in the quarters on the last day of group stage matches.

The game was more balanced and both teams went head to head on stats and play than the previous quarter final which saw Iskandhar dominate most of the game. The breakthrough goal came in at the 20th minute by Ghaazee’s Ismail Nazaan Nizar. Ghaazee seemed to be holding onto that goal strongly through the rest of the game until the 20^th minute of the second half, which saw Hassan Yoon level matters for Thaajuddin with a beautifully worked goal. The game went on to end in a score of 1-1 which meant penalties would decide the fate of both the teams. Dhanyal Ahmed and Yoonus Khaleel Abdulla scored two of Thaajuddin’s spot kicks while Mohamed Unais Bin Nooh, Ahmed Siraah and Shuhood Ahmed Rishfan netted 3 of Ghaazee’s penalties which takes them into the semi-finals.

These results mean that Iskandhar will face Ghaazee in the semi-finals to battle it out for for a spot in the final. U-13 is the only unfinished age group in the Mamen Inter School Football Tournament 2019. The U-15 and U-18 tournaments ended in amazing fashion with finals filled with drama till the very last minute. The U-13 age group has so far brought plenty of drama in the group stage and also in the quarters with Rehendhi and Thaajuddin claiming quarter spots in the last day of group stage games in group C only to lose against Hiriya and Ghaazee respectively meaning no group C sides will play in the semi-finals. It’s two group D sides and the runner-ups of groups A and B which will play in the semi-finals.

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