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Sachitha steers Colombo to 71 run win over Galle

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SLC National Super League 50 over tournament

Sachitha Jayathilake’s half-century scripted Team Colombo’s comprehensive 71-run win over team Galle in the 15th match of the SLC National Super League 50 over tourney worked off at SSC ground, Colombo yesterday.

Put into bat first, Colombo posted 225 runs on the back of cameos from Sachitha Jayathilake, Sithara Gimhana and Dushan Vimukthi. In reply, Team Galle was bundled out for 154 runs.

Earlier, Team Colombo didn’t have the best of starts to their innings as they were reduced to 4-72. With wickets falling at one end Sithara Gimhana launched a lone cameo with a 45 ball 44, but ultimately the pressure got to him and he departed in the 14th over.

In some sort of trouble, Colombo looked to rebuild their innings, with Ahen Bandara and Dushan Vimukthi slowly building 30 run partnership for the fifth wicket. But their partnership was cut short by Tilanga Udeshana when he struck to trap Ashen Bandara (19) LBW in the 22nd over to pin Colombo further down.

At one stage it looked like Colombo would have to settle for a below-par score of between 150-200, but a 92-run partnership between Sachitha Jayathilake and Dushan Vimukthi saw them gradually regaining momentum.

Sachitha was the hero top scoring with a watchful 74 ball 58 runs including 5 boundaries and 2 sixes, while Dushan contributed 46 to help their team go past the 200 run mark.

The duo showed great maturity and composure, playing sensibly and punishing any loose deliveries until Sachitha bit the dust when Milan Rathnayake got the breakthrough in the 42nd over.

His partner Dushan too failed to hang on as he fell short of a well-deserved half-century when Milan Rathnayake once again delivered to turn things around.

With the scoreboard reading 200-7, Isitha Dew Wijesundara laid the final touches from down the order with a quickfire 16 runs, smashing a boundary and a six to help the team post a defendable 225 runs before they were bowled out in 48 overs.

Milan Rathnayake shone with the ball claiming 4-37, while Kavishka Anjula and Tilanga Udeshana chipped in with two wickets each.

In reply, Team Galle lost the plot from the get-go and was bundled out for 154 runs inside 39.4 overs. None of the batters threatened the Colombo bowlers and none were able to go past at least the 30-run mark.

National team discard Akila Dananjaya top scored with a fighting 27 runs from down the order, but lack of support from the recognized batters saw them fall well short of the target.

Dushan Vimukthi and Nuwan Pradeep went through the Galle batting line up picking up three wickets each, while Udith Madushan bagged two.

Dambulla edge Kandy by 1 wicket

Meanwhile, in another match between Team Dambulla and Team Kandy, an all-round performance helped Team Dambulla register a thrilling 1-wicket win at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.

Brief scores:

At SSC

Colombo: 225 all out (48) (Sachitha Jayathilake 58, Dushan Vimukthi 46, Sithara Gimhana 44, Milan Rathnayake 4-37, Kavishka Anjula 2-54, Tilanga Udeshana 2-45)

Galle: 154 all out (39.4) (Akila Dananjaya 27, Dushan Vimukthi 3-34, Nuwan Pradeep 3-31)

At R. Premadasa

Kandy: 239 all out (47.1) (Oshada Fernando 76, Lahiru Udara 52, Lakshan Sandakan 4-37, Lahiru Samarakoon 2-24, Sonal Dinusha 2-32)

Dambulla: 240-9 (48.5) (Sonal Dinusha 53, Dushan Hemantha 37, Movin Subasinghe 3-46)

සචිත ගාල්ලට එරෙහිව ලකුණු 71 ක ජයක් කොළඹ ගෙන ගියේය

SLC ජාතික සුපර් ලීග් පන්දුවාර 50 තරඟාවලිය

සචිත ජයතිලකගේ අර්ධ ශතකයක් හේතුවෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක්‍රිකට් ජාතික සුපර් ලීග් ඕවර 50 තරගාවලියේ 15 වැනි තරගයෙන් ගාල්ල කණ්ඩායමට එරෙහිව ලකුණු 71 ක විශිෂ්ට ජයක් කොළඹ එස්එස්සී පිටියේදී ඊයේ නිමාවට පත් විය.

පළමුවෙන් පන්දුවට පහරදුන් කොළඹ කණ්ඩායම සචිත ජයතිලක, සිතාර ගිම්හාන සහ දුෂාන් විමුක්තිගේ ප්‍රධාන ආරාධිත ක්‍රීඩකයින් හමුවේ ලකුණු 225ක් රැස් කළේය. පිළිතුරු ලෙස ගාල්ල කණ්ඩායම ලකුණු 154කට දැවී ගියේය.

මීට පෙර, කොළඹ කණ්ඩායමට ඔවුන්ගේ ඉනිමට හොඳම ආරම්භය නොතිබුනේ ඔවුන් ලකුණු 4-72 දක්වා අඩු වූ බැවිනි. එක් අන්තයක කඩුලු බිඳ වැටෙද්දී සිතාර ගිම්හාන පන්දු 45කින් ලකුණු 44ක් රැස්කරමින් හුදෙකලා ක්‍රීඩකයෙකු ලෙසින් පිටියට පිවිසි නමුත් අවසානයේ පීඩනය ඔහුට එල්ල වූ අතර 14 වැනි ඕවරයේදී ඔහු පිටව ගියේය.

කිසියම් කරදරයක දී කොළඹ කණ්ඩායම සිය ඉනිම යළි ගොඩනැගීමට බලාපොරොත්තු වූ අතර, අහේන් බණ්ඩාර සහ දුෂාන් විමුක්ති සෙමෙන් පස්වැනි කඩුල්ල සඳහා ලකුණු 30ක සබඳතාවයක් ගොඩනැංවූහ. එහෙත් 22 වැනි ඕවරයේ දී අශේන් බණ්ඩාර (19) එල්.බී.ඩබ්ලිව් දවාලීමට තිලංග උදේෂණ විසින් පහර දීමත් සමඟ ඔවුන්ගේ සබඳතාව බිඳ වැටුණි.

එක් අවස්ථාවකදී කොළඹ පිලට ලකුණු 150-200 අතර සම මට්ටමකින් සෑහීමකට පත්විය යුතු බවක් පෙනෙන්නට තිබුණද, සචිත ජයතිලක සහ දුෂාන් විමුක්ති අතර ලකුණු 92ක සබඳතාවයක් ක්‍රමක්‍රමයෙන් යළිත් වේගයක් ලබා ගැනීමට සමත් විය.

සචිත පන්දු 74කදී හතරේ පහර 5ක් සහ හයේ පහර 2ක් සමඟින් ලකුණු 58ක් රැස්කරමින් වීරයා බවට පත්වූ අතර දුෂාන් ලකුණු 46ක් රැස්කරමින් තම කණ්ඩායම ලකුණු 200 සීමාව පසුකර යාමට දායක විය.

42 වැනි ඕවරයේ මිලාන් රත්නායක පෙරළිය ලබා ගන්නා විට සචිත දූවිලි හපා ගන්නා තෙක් ඔවුන් දෙදෙනා ඉතා පරිණතභාවය සහ සන්සුන් භාවය පෙන්නුම් කළ අතර සංවේදීව ක්‍රීඩා කළ අතර ඕනෑම ලිහිල් පන්දු යැවීමකට දඬුවම් කළහ.

මිලාන් රත්නායක විසින් නැවත වරක් පන්දුවට පහර දීමෙන් ඔහුට නිසි අර්ධ ශතකයක් නොලැබීම හේතුවෙන් ඔහුගේ සහකරු දුෂාන් ද රැඳී සිටීමට අපොහොසත් විය.

ලකුණු පුවරුව 200-7ක් ලෙස සටහන් වෙද්දී ඉසිත ඩිව් විජේසුන්දර වේගවත් ලකුණු 16ක් ලබා ගනිමින් ඉනිමේ අවසන් ස්පර්ශයන් තැබූ අතර, හතරේ පහරක් සහ හයේ පහරක් එල්ල කරමින් කණ්ඩායමට ඕවර 48කදී දැවී යාමට පෙර ලකුණු 225ක් ආරක්ෂා කර ගැනීමට හැකි විය.

මිලාන් රත්නායක ලකුණු 4-37ක් ලෙසින් පන්දුවෙන් දස්කම් දැක්වූ අතර කවිෂ්ක අංජුල සහ තිලංග උදේෂණ කඩුලු 2 බැගින් බිඳ හෙලූහ.

පිළිතුරු ඉනිම ක්‍රීඩා කළ ගාල්ල කණ්ඩායමට පන්දුවාර 39.4කදී ලකුණු 154කට සියල්ලන් දැවී ලබාගත හැකිවිය. කිසිඳු පිතිකරුවෙකු කොළඹ පන්දු යවන්නන්ට තර්ජනයක් නොවූ අතර කිසිවකුට අවම වශයෙන් ලකුණු 30 සීමාව පසුකර යාමට නොහැකි විය.

ජාතික පිලේ වැඩිම ලකුණු ලාභියා වූ අකිල ධනංජය ලකුණු 27ක් ලබා සිටියදී දැවී ගිය නමුත් පිළිගත් පිතිකරුවන්ගෙන් සහය නොලැබීම නිසා ඔවුන් ඉලක්කයට වඩා අඩුවෙන් දැවී ගියහ.

පන්දු යැවීමේදී දුෂාන් විමුක්ති සහ නුවන් ප්‍රදීප් කඩුලු 3 බැගින් දවාගත් අතර, උදිත් මධුෂාන් කඩුලු 2ක් දවා ගැනීමට ගාල්ල පිතිකරු පෙළ සමත් විය.

දඹුල්ල පිල මහනුවර පිල කඩුලූ 1 කින් ජය ගත්තේය

මේ අතර දඹුල්ල පිල සහ මහනුවර පිල අතර පැවැති තවත් තරගයකදී දඹුල්ල පිලට තුන් ඉරියව් දස්කම් හේතුවෙන් ආර්.ප්‍රේමදාස ජාත්‍යන්තර ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩාංගණයේදී කඩුලු 1 ක තියුණු ජයක් වාර්තා කිරීමට දඹුල්ල පිල සමත්විය.

කෙටි ලකුණු:

SSC හි

කොළඹ: සියලුම දෙනා දැවී 225 (48) (සචිත ජයතිලක 58, දුෂාන් විමුක්ති 46, සිතාර ගිම්හාන 44, මිලාන් රත්නායක 4-37, කවිෂ්ක අංජුල 2-54, තිලංග උදේෂණ 2-45)

ගාල්ල: සියලුම දෙනා දැවී 154 (39.4) (අකිල ධනංජය 27, දුෂාන් විමුක්ති 3-34, නුවන් ප්‍රදීප් 3-31)

ආර් පේ‍්‍රමදාසගේ දී

මහනුවර: සියලුම දෙනා දැවී 239 (47.1) (ඕෂද ප්‍රනාන්දු 76, ළහිරු උදාර 52, ලක්ෂාන් සඳකැන් 4-37, ලහිරු සමරකෝන් 2-24, සොනාල් දිනූෂ 2-32)

දඹුල්ල: 240-9 (48.5) (සොනාල් දිනූෂ 53, දුෂාන් හේමන්ත 37, මොවින් සුබසිංහ 3-46)

சச்சிதா காலேவை 71 ரன்கள் வித்தியாசத்தில் வென்றார்

SLC தேசிய சூப்பர் லீக் 50 ஓவர் போட்டி

SLC தேசிய சுப்பர் லீக் 50 ஓவர் போட்டியின் 15வது போட்டியில் சச்சித ஜயதிலக்கவின் அரைசதத்தால் கொழும்பு அணி 71 ஓட்டங்களால் காலி அணியை வீழ்த்தியது.

முதலில் துடுப்பெடுத்தாடிய கொழும்பு, சச்சித ஜயதிலக்க, சித்தர கிம்ஹன மற்றும் துஷான் விமுக்தி ஆகியோரின் சிறப்பான ஆட்டத்தால் 225 ஓட்டங்களைப் பெற்றது. பதிலுக்கு துடுப்பெடுத்தாடிய காலி அணி 154 ஓட்டங்களுக்கு சுருண்டது.

முன்னதாக, கொழும்பு அணி 4-72 என்று குறைக்கப்பட்டதால், அவர்களின் இன்னிங்ஸில் சிறந்த தொடக்கங்கள் இல்லை. ஒரு முனையில் விக்கெட்டுகள் சரிந்த நிலையில், சித்தர கிம்ஹானா 45 பந்தில் 44 ரன்களுடன் ஒரு தனி கேமியோவைத் தொடங்கினார், ஆனால் இறுதியில் அவருக்கு அழுத்தம் கிடைத்தது மற்றும் 14 வது ஓவரில் அவர் வெளியேறினார்.

ஒருவித சிக்கலில், கொழும்பு அணி தனது இன்னிங்ஸை மீண்டும் கட்டியெழுப்ப முயன்றது, அஹேன் பண்டார மற்றும் துஷான் விமுக்தி ஆகியோர் ஐந்தாவது விக்கெட்டுக்கு மெதுவாக 30 ரன் பார்ட்னர்ஷிப்பை உருவாக்கினர். ஆனால் 22வது ஓவரில் அஷேன் பண்டாரவை (19) எல்பிடபிள்யூவில் சிக்க வைத்து கொழும்பை மேலும் கீழிறக்க திலங்க உதேசனாவால் அவர்களது பார்ட்னர்ஷிப் துண்டிக்கப்பட்டது.

ஒரு கட்டத்தில், கொழும்பு 150-200க்கு குறைவான ஸ்கோரைத் தீர்த்துக் கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்று தோன்றியது, ஆனால் சச்சித ஜயதிலக்க மற்றும் துஷான் விமுக்தி ஆகியோருக்கு இடையேயான 92 ரன் கூட்டாண்மை அவர்கள் படிப்படியாக வேகத்தை மீட்டெடுத்தது.

சச்சிதா 74 பந்துகளில் 5 பவுண்டரிகள் மற்றும் 2 சிக்ஸர்கள் அடங்கலாக 58 ஓட்டங்களைப் பெற்று நாயகனாக முதலிடத்தில் இருந்தார், அதேவேளை துஷான் 46 ஓட்டங்களைப் பெற்று தமது அணியை 200 ஓட்டங்களைக் கடக்க உதவினார்.

42 வது ஓவரில் மிலன் ரத்நாயக்க திருப்புமுனையைப் பெற்றபோது சச்சிதா தூசியை கடிக்கும் வரை இருவரும் மிகுந்த முதிர்ச்சியையும் நிதானத்தையும் வெளிப்படுத்தினர், புத்திசாலித்தனமாக விளையாடினர்.

மிலன் ரத்நாயக்க மீண்டும் ஒருமுறை ஆட்டத்தை மாற்றியமைத்த போது அவரது பங்குதாரரான துஷானும் தகுந்த அரைசதத்தை பெற முடியாமல் தோல்வியடைந்தார்.

ஸ்கோர்போர்டு 200-7 ஆக இருந்த நிலையில், இசித டியூ விஜேசுந்தரா 48 ஓவர்களில் ஆட்டமிழக்க முன், அணி 225 ரன்களை பாதுகாக்க உதவ, 16 ரன்கள் எடுத்து, ஒரு பவுண்டரி மற்றும் ஒரு சிக்சருடன் இறுதித் தொடுதல்களை வழங்கினார்.

மிலன் ரத்நாயக்க பந்து வீச்சில் 4-37 என பிரகாசிக்க, கவிஷ்க அஞ்சுல மற்றும் திலங்க உதேசன ஆகியோர் தலா இரண்டு விக்கெட்டுகளை வீழ்த்தினர்.

பதிலுக்கு துடுப்பெடுத்தாடிய காலி அணி ஆரம்பத்திலேயே சதியை இழந்து 39.4 ஓவர்களில் 154 ஓட்டங்களுக்குச் சுருண்டது. துடுப்பாட்ட வீரர்கள் எவரும் கொழும்பு பந்துவீச்சாளர்களை அச்சுறுத்தவில்லை மற்றும் எவராலும் குறைந்தபட்சம் 30 ஓட்டங்களைக் கடக்க முடியவில்லை.

தேசிய அணி 27 ரன்களுடன் போராடி 27 ரன்களுடன் அதிகபட்சமாக அகில தனஞ்சயவை நிராகரித்தது, ஆனால் அங்கீகரிக்கப்பட்ட பேட்டர்களின் ஆதரவு இல்லாததால் அவர்கள் இலக்கை விட மிகவும் குறைவாக வீழ்ந்தனர்.

காலி துடுப்பாட்ட வரிசையில் துஷான் விமுக்தி மற்றும் நுவான் பிரதீப் ஆகியோர் தலா 3 விக்கெட்டுக்களையும், உதித் மதுஷன் 2 விக்கெட்டுகளையும் கைப்பற்றினர்.

தம்புள்ளை கண்டி அணியை 1 விக்கெட் வித்தியாசத்தில் வீழ்த்தியது

இதேவேளை, தம்புள்ளை அணிக்கும் கண்டி அணிக்குமிடையிலான மற்றுமொரு போட்டியில், ஆர்.பிரேமதாச சர்வதேச கிரிக்கெட் மைதானத்தில் நடைபெற்ற போட்டியில் தம்புள்ளை அணி 1 விக்கெட் வித்தியாசத்தில் த்ரில் வெற்றியை பதிவு செய்ய சகலதுறை ஆட்டமும் உதவியது.

சுருக்கமான மதிப்பெண்கள்:

SSC இல்

கொழும்பு: 225 ஆல் அவுட் (48) (சச்சித ஜயதிலகே 58, துஷான் விமுக்தி 46, சித்தர கிம்ஹான 44, மிலன் ரத்நாயக்க 4-37, கவிஷ்க அஞ்சுலா 2-54, திலங்க உதேசன 2-45)

காலி: 154 ஆல் அவுட் (39.4) (அகில தனஞ்சய 27, துஷான் விமுக்தி 3-34, நுவான் பிரதீப் 3-31)

ஆர்.பிரேமதாசவிடம்

கண்டி: 239 ஆல் அவுட் (47.1) (ஓஷத பெர்னாண்டோ 76, லஹிரு உதார 52, லக்ஷன் சந்தகன் 4-37, லஹிரு சமரகோன் 2-24, சோனல் தினுஷா 2-32)

தம்புள்ளை: 240-9 (48.5) (சோனல் தினுஷா 53, துஷான் ஹேமந்த 37, மொவின் சுபசிங்க 3-46)

Football

Sri Lanka U20 Women’s Football Hits Rock Bottom at SAFF Championship Amid Continued National-Level Crisis

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The Sri Lanka U20 Women’s Team endured a disappointing campaign at the SAFF U20 Women’s Championship 2025, suffering two heavy defeats with one group match left to play. In their opening encounter, Sri Lanka was thrashed 9 -1 by Bangladesh, followed by a 5-0 loss against Bhutan, indicating a deeper crisis in the country’s women’s football structure.

These back-to-back losses highlight the grim state of the women’s football program, especially when placed alongside the senior team’s exit from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers earlier this year without a single win. This trend reflects not just a lack of preparation, but an institutional failure to establish a developmental pipeline or strategic plan.

What’s even more concerning is the absence of visible recovery mechanisms from the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL). Instead of addressing systemic issues—such as lack of coaching standards, insufficient grassroots investment, and poor player welfare—key decision-makers appear more focused on the upcoming FFSL elections. Behind-the-scenes politics continue to stall any meaningful progress in women’s football development.

Despite the promising young talent in Sri Lanka, the gap in fitness, tactical training, and match readiness compared to regional rivals is growing wider. Without immediate technical reforms and leadership that prioritizes performance over politics, the future of women’s football in the country remains uncertain.

With one more match against a strong Nepal side, the prospects of a comeback look bleak, unless there is a radical shift in how the game is managed from the ground up.

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News

South Asian Karate Championship 2025: India and Sri Lanka Shine as Karate Celebrates 50 Years in Sri Lanka

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Colombo, July 5–6, 2025 – The 9th South Asian Karate Championship and the 1st South Asian Youth Karate Championship successfully concluded at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, marking a landmark moment in Sri Lanka’s martial arts history as the nation celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Karate Federation.

This prestigious two-day event was jointly organized by the South Asian Karate Federation and the Sri Lanka Karate Federation, which is registered under the Ministry of Sports as one of the seven official sports federations in the country.

Day 1 (July 5) – Youth Championship Dominated by India and Sri Lanka

The opening day featured intense youth-level competition with over 700 athletes from seven South Asian nationsSri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives – competing in age categories below 14.

🥇 Youth Medal Standings (U-14 Category):

  • India – 22 Medals (1st Place)
  • Nepal – 20 Medals (2nd Place)
  • Sri Lanka – 10 Medals (3rd Place)

📺 Watch Day 1 Highlights:

Final Day (July 6) – Sri Lanka Takes Youth Title, India Clinches Senior Crown

The second day of the tournament featured both senior and youth finals. In a historic achievement, Sri Lanka emerged champions in the Youth Division, while India secured the Senior Team Championship, continuing their regional dominance.

Final Team Standings:

  • Senior Category:
    • 🥇 India (Champions)
    • 🥈 Nepal (Runners-up)
    • 🥉 Sri Lanka (Third Place)
  • Youth Category:
    • 🥇 Sri Lanka (Champions)
    • 🥈 India (Runners-up)
    • 🥉 Nepal (Third Place)

Watch Final Day Highlights:

Special Guests & Recognition

The event was graced by His Excellency Akio Isomata, the Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, who attended as the Chief Guest, acknowledging Sri Lanka’s long-standing contribution to the growth of karate in South Asia.

Also present was Bharat Sharma, President of the South Asian Karate Federation, who praised the standard of competition and Sri Lanka’s organizing excellence.

Karate in Sri Lanka – 50 Years of Legacy

This championship coincided with the 50th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Karate Federation, which has played a vital role in shaping karate talent nationally and internationally. With continued support from the Ministry of Sports, karate remains one of Sri Lanka’s fastest-growing combat sports.

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Football

Sri Lanka Women Finish Qualifiers with 0 Goals, 20 Conceded – Who Will Take Responsibility?

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Colombo, July 3 – Sri Lanka Women’s National Football Team wrapped up their AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers campaign with a third straight defeat — a 2-0 loss to Laos — confirming their position at the bottom of Group F, with 0 wins, 0 goals scored, and 18 conceded in just three games.

But beyond the scorelines lies a far more serious issue: a complete collapse of women’s football development in Sri Lanka. And this time, the blame does not lie on one individual — but on a system that has failed the sport, from top to bottom.

Match-by-Match Recap

Match 1: Sri Lanka 0 – 10 Uzbekistan

  • Possession: 30%
  • Shots on Target: 0
  • xG: 0.0 vs Uzbekistan’s 3.60
  • A game that exposed a lack of preparation, structure, and fitness from the very start.

Match 2: Sri Lanka 0 – 8 Nepal

  • Possession: 50%
  • Defensive errors gifted goals, including a hat-trick by Sabitra Bhandari.
  • xG: Nepal 3.76 vs Sri Lanka 0.60
  • Tactical breakdown: Midfield collapsed under pressure, backline failed to close space.

Match 3: Sri Lanka 0 – 2 Laos

  • Possession: 50%
  • Shots on Target: 5
  • xG: 2.56 (Laos) vs 1.08 (Sri Lanka)
  • A more balanced performance, but defensive lapses in the 73rd and 90+2 minutes led to defeat. Sri Lanka couldn’t convert chances despite their best game statistically.

Final Group Standings – Group F

TeamMPGFGAGDPoints
🇳🇵 Nepal2170+176
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan2170+176
🇱🇦 Laos2216-140
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka3020-200

Tactical Issues Across All Matches

  • No clear formation or transition play.
  • Lack of defensive coordination — players failed to track runners, especially on the flanks.
  • No attacking identity — only 1.08 xG across three games.
  • In-game management absent — few substitutions or tactical shifts despite being outplayed.

While public criticism often targets the President of the Football Federation, this decline in women’s football runs deeper:

Who Is Accountable? Not Just the President

Women’s Football Committee:

  • Failed to organize any domestic tournament in recent years.
  • Selected the squad via open trials, with no league performance data to back selections.
  • No consistent training camps or fitness programs.

Executive Committee:

  • Remains silent on the recurring failures.
  • No inquiries, reviews, or structural reforms have followed Sri Lanka’s repeated humiliations — including the U20 Women’s SAFF defeat earlier this year.

Technical & Development Staff:

  • No tactical framework or youth development.
  • No modern coaching methods or international exposure for players.

The Bigger Problem: Silence and Stagnation

Sri Lanka is not just losing matches — it’s losing direction. The current state of women’s football is not the result of one bad campaign. It’s the product of years of neglect, political appointments, and a failure to treat women’s football with equal priority.

Even now, there is no explanation from the Executive Committee on how the women’s team was prepared or what plans exist for recovery.

Time for a Reset, Not Excuses

If Sri Lanka is serious about competing in international football, the following must be addressed:

  • ✅ A national women’s league
  • ✅ Provincial and school-level competitions
  • ✅ Professional coaching staff and structured fitness programs
  • ✅ Regular international friendlies and camps
  • ✅ Transparent selection processes based on performance, not politics

🔚 Conclusion

Sri Lanka’s 2026 AFC campaign should not just be remembered for the scorelines — but as a call for change. It is time for every stakeholder — from the Women’s Committee to the Executive — to reflect, respond, and rebuild.

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