FFSL Champions League 2025–26: Defending champions Matara City suffer second straight defeat

By Susil Premalal

Defending champions Matara City Sports Club suffered their second consecutive defeat in the FFSL Champions League 2025–26 as St. Mary’s Sports Club of Jaffna recorded a comfortable 2–0 victory in a Group ‘B’ fourth-week encounter played at the Race Course Ground, Colombo.
The tournament, conducted by the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL), features 14 top-tier clubs and will continue until the end of January 2026 at the Race Course venue.
St. Mary’s dominated proceedings against Matara City, scoring once in each half to seal a deserved win. John Lawani opened the scoring in the 11th minute, giving the Jaffna-based side a 1–0 lead at halftime. They doubled their advantage early in the second half when M. Marysan found the net in the 50th minute.
This defeat marked Matara City’s second loss of the tournament, following their heavy 5–0 defeat against Sri Lanka Police Sports Club earlier in the competition.
In the other Group ‘B’ match played concurrently, Java Lane Sports Club and Crystal Palace Sports Club battled to a thrilling 2–2 draw.
Crystal Palace took the lead in the 17th minute through defender Michael Acquaye, but Java Lane skipper Harsha Sumudu equalised just three minutes later. Crystal Palace regained the lead on the stroke of halftime when Isaac Ana scored in the 45+4th minute to make it 2–1.
The second half saw an intense contest as both sides pushed for goals. Java Lane were finally rewarded deep into stoppage time when Harsha Sumudu struck again in the 90+6th minute to level the scores and secure a share of the points.