Saunders win, Moragasmulla hand Police SC first defeat

By Susil Premalal

Sri Lanka’s oldest football club, Saunders Sports Club, produced the standout performance of the FFSL Champions League 2025–26 fourth week with a commanding 5–0 victory over the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) SC at the Race Course Ground, Colombo.

The tournament, organised by the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL), is being contested by 14 top-tier clubs and continues at the Race Course Ground. This win marked Saunders SC’s second victory of their campaign, while SLTB SC remain winless after suffering defeats in all three of their matches so far.

In the final match of the fourth week, Saunders took a narrow 1–0 lead into the halftime break before turning on the style in the second half. Playing with greater attacking intent, Saunders added four more goals to seal a comprehensive 5–0 triumph.

Goals for the winners were scored by Ziard Mufazzal in first-half stoppage time, Roger Philippe, who struck twice in the 58th and 80th minutes, and Mohamed Zaid who found the net in the 68th minute. Roger Philippe was later adjudged Man of the Match for his influential performance.

In the other Group ‘B’ encounter, Moragasmulla SC pulled off a surprise 1–0 victory over Police SC, handing them their first defeat of the tournament after two consecutive wins. The result also marked Moragasmulla SC’s first win of the competition.

The tightly contested match remained goalless at halftime before Mohamed Katheem scored the decisive goal in the 66th minute for Moragasmulla. The intensity of the contest escalated in stoppage time, resulting in two red cards as Ishan Diniddu of Moragasmulla SC and Erudayarasa Thanujan of Police SC were both sent off.

Ayantha Shavinda of Moragasmulla SC was named Man of the Match for his standout contribution.

The results have added further excitement to the FFSL Champions League standings as the tournament moves into its next phase.