FFSL Champions League 2025-26: Serandib, Java Lane, and Pelicans record crucial wins

Action from the Saunders SC vs St. Mary’s SC Jaffna encounter 

By Susil Premalal

The FFSL Champions League Football 2025–26 Super Eight Round produced another thrilling weekend of action, with Serandib Sports Club Mawanella, Java Lane Sports Club Colombo, and Pelicans Sports Club Kurunegala recording important victories in the second week of competition.
Serandib SC delivered the most dominant performance of the round, crushing Sri Lanka Police SC 5–0 in a one-sided encounter on Friday. Serandib took control early and went into halftime with a 2–0 advantage. Darko George was the standout performer, completing a superb hat-trick with goals in the 16th, 46th, and 76th minutes. Additional goals came from Vijayakumar Abishan in stoppage time of the first half and Mohamed Rahuman in the 52nd minute. The match also saw Sri Lanka Police player Chalanka Nishantha sent off with a red card in the 90+1 minute. Darko George was deservedly named Man of the Match.
Java Lane SC Colombo continued their impressive run by edging New Star SC Colombo 1–0 in a tightly contested match played on Friday. The decisive moment came in the 29th minute when Oluwaseun Olawale found the back of the net. Despite chances at both ends, neither side managed to score again. Java Lane goalkeeper Asfaq Ayub produced a composed display and was awarded the Man of the Match honour.
Saturday’s much-anticipated clash between Saunders SC Colombo and St. Mary’s SC Jaffna ended in an exciting 2–2 draw. St. Mary’s made a strong start and surged into a 2–0 halftime lead through goals by John Lawani in the 7th minute and Sebastian Arul in the 30th minute. Saunders responded with renewed intensity in the second half, as Indeewa Udara pulled one back in the 56th minute before Ziad Mufazzl struck the equaliser in the 84th minute. Saunders midfielder Indeewa Udara was named the best player of the match.
Pelicans SC Kurunegala sealed a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Solid SC Anuradhapura in Saturday’s final encounter. The first half ended scoreless, but Pelicans broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute when Selvam Sutharshan scored the winning goal. His decisive contribution earned him the Man of the Match award.
With four matches completed in the second week, Saunders SC, St. Mary’s SC, Pelicans SC, and Java Lane SC remain unbeaten at the top of the standings with four points each. Conducted under the guidance of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka, the Super Eight Round continues every weekend at the Race Course Ground, Colombo, and will run until March 30.