APL

The game started with Amu in black and Sape in white. In the opening moments Amu’s forward Khal Mohammad Suroosh made an effort on the goal but failed to drive it home. Abasin’s Farhad Andar broke free of Amu’s defensive line and had a golden opportunity to get past Amu’s goalkeeper but was intercepted at the last minute by Amu backup.

At the 19th minute FarhadAndar was gifted another golden opportunity to fire on Amu’s goal but unfortunately the shot went wide. Returning the pressure, Amu drove across the field but was deflected by another brave charge outside of the goal by Sape’s daredevil goalie.

The first Yellow Card handed is out at the 27th minute on Sape’s  Rahmat Ahmadzai for a illegal tackle on Amu’s Captain, Amu’s captain had to be led off the field by medics. With just 5 minutes left in the 1st half minute Sape’s Andar took a clumsy shot on Amu’s goal from outside of the penalty area but Amu’s goalie effortlessly defended the attempt.

At the 41st minute Amu’s Qismat Ahmadi took a dive during a collision with a Sape player and for his efforts, got a free kick on goal. After a short skirmish Amu’s Kanoosh Khawari took a good shot on the goal but it goes wide off the mark.  At the end of the 1st half both teams returned to their dugouts scoreless.

The 2nd half kicked off with a furious assault on the Amu goal by Sape but the shot ends up missing the mark. At the 49th minute a red card is called on Amu’s Hedayatullah Ahmadi for a tackle in the penalty zone.  A free kick is awarded to Sape but Abdul Jabar’s shot goes wide off the mark and the stadium erupted into cheers over the miss. 

The cards and penalty kicks continue to stack up in the 2nd half and the referee issued yet another yellow card for Sape player Sohrab Niazi’s illegal tackle on Amu’s Jabar near Sape’s penalty area. Amu’s Jabar is awarded a penalty kick but failed to drive it home.

At the 65th minute Amu broke free of Sape’s defensive line and took a shot on Sape’s goal but the ball struck the goal post and rebounded back out into the field of play, saving Sape from being scored on.

But Sape’s luck finally runs out at the 69th ,Amu’s Andar broke free of Sape’s defense and goalie, leaving the goal wide open. Andar had all the time in the world to calmly walk the ball into the net and score first blood in this crucial match. In desperation mode, Sape’s players on the field switched over to a very aggressive style of play, hoping to claw their way back into the game.

It doesn’t take long for that aggression to translate into Sape’s Sohrab Niazi’s second yellow card warning of the match, earning him a red card at the 83rd minute and eliminating him from playing for the rest of the game.

With game time running out, Amu sank back towards their half of the field, throwing up a daunting defensive gauntlet for Sape’s offense to maneuver past. The last moments of the game ended with Sape’s goalie in possession of the ball at the midfield mark, looking helpless to turn things around for his team. At the end of the game clock Sape’s dreams to enter the semifinals and igniting new hope for Amu.