By Aaron Cordy
THE Shepparton Nations Cup played out over January at the McEwen Reserve, with Afghanistan winning the tournament in a thrilling penalty shootout over Nepal in front of a vibrant crowd on Saturday, January 25.
Afghanistan stole the first goal in the opening minutes of the game when Ali Sina Alizada capitalised on a lapse in concentration from the Nepalese players. From then it was an arm wrestle with the two talent-laden teams not giving an inch.
Afghani head coach Ashraf Haidari and assistant KB Karimi rallied the players at half with a warning that despite a 1-0 lead in their favour, Nepal would turn the field on its head if they gave them an inch. A statement that came true when halfway through the second half the Nepalese, whom many considered underdogs, slotted a brilliant goal to draw level.
The battle continued into extra time with both sides on one apiece and nothing could break the deadlock. The penalty shootout continued to see little separating both sides, with the first three shooters scoring. When the Afghani keeper Imran Mohammadi snuck in a goal of his own, it was then up to him to take his position on the goal line, stopping Nepal’s fourth shot at goal. Zulfaqar Alizada kicked the winner for Afghanistan with the next ball.
A brilliant celebration from the Afghani team and their community and fans followed.
“It was tight, but to the boy’s credit, they kept fighting. And what Allah wills no one can take away,” said Afghani captain, Qader Karimi.
Ali Sina Alizada was named Best on Ground, and Suman Lama of Nepal was Man of the Tournament.
The whole tournament was a massive success and highlighted the beauty and diversity of Greater Shepparton. Sides made up of people from Nepal, Afghanistan, Turkey, India, Australia, Italy, Congo, Iraq, Pakistan and Albania competed in the successful event that had many fans on the edge of their seats watching some gripping matches.
The hard work of event organiser Abbas Al-Najar and his team of volunteers created a brilliant event the whole family could enjoy.
“Well, my number one goal for the event was to see people as happy as they can from all backgrounds, and I’ve definitely succeeded in doing that,” said Abbas.
“It’s been a lot more high-quality football compared to last year because no one expected how it was going to be the first time around. But when they saw how good it was, the calibre of football increased dramatically.”
