In the last match of the SEALS Cup quarterfinals, MBBS defeated Political Science by two goals to one to qualify for the semi-final in a heated encounter. Prior to the game, Political Science was deemed the favorite to win, as they had defeated MBBS twice in major competitions: first at the SEALS Cup ‘23 semifinal, which ended in a 1-0 win, and at the Super Cup ‘24 final.
The game, scheduled for 5:15 pm, started at 6:04 pm. For the first few minutes of the encounter, MBBS had to clear attempts from the POS attackers who sought to get an early goal. MBBS eventually settled into the game and got their first attack in the 6th minute. Ola crossed the ball to Karbon, but he couldn’t get his shot on target. Just a minute later, Ola scored MBBS’s first goal by dribbling into the box, and he made no mistake as he shot the ball into the roof of the net, leaving the Political Science goalkeeper, Olami, no chance at all. POS continued their attacks again, but the MBBS back three, comprised of Abang, Istanbul, and Promise, stayed resilient.
Seven minutes after the first goal, MBBS won a free kick on the right wing. It looked like Olami, the POS keeper, was going to save Habeeb’s cross, but he spilled it, allowing Ola to tap the ball into an empty net, grabbing his brace. MBBS continued the way they started, thwarting attacks from the Social Science side and creating theirs, but Olami did well to clear the ball on a number of occasions. In the 23rd minute, MBBS had a chance to extend their lead through Sir Dave. Ola dribbled on the wing again and passed to Teslim, who then sent it straight to Sir Dave, but his shot was just above the bar. Another great chance came for MBBS just 3 minutes after, from another Olami slip-up, but Karbon couldn’t shoot the ball on target. On the other end of the pitch, POS won a free kick from a dangerous position. The ball was whipped into the box, and the resulting header missed the net by just a few inches. The referee blew the whistle for half-time minutes later.
The second half was heated. Fouls were committed, and yellow cards flew around. Political Science won several free kicks but could not convert their chances. In the 11th minute of the second half, MBBS came knocking, and in a bid to save the ball, Olami handled the ball outside the box. MBBS earned a free kick, but Habeeb’s shot sailed just above the bar. Five minutes later, the MBBS captain, Ramoni, who missed the first half of the match due to a test, came on for an injured Abang. A minute later, Olami produced a great double save to keep his team’s head above the water.
Five minutes later, Korede, Political Science’s number 9, got a goal, but it was deemed offside. The next minutes saw countless fouls called against MBBS, leading to frustration among players and fans. Karbon got another chance to extend the student doctors’ lead after going past Olami. However, he couldn’t bring the ball under control before the defenders recovered to clear the ball. In a bid to get a goal back, Pogba, the captain of the Political Science side, worked the ball beautifully, beating MBBS players on the run, and laid it down for his attacker, Stanley. However, he couldn’t keep his shot down, wasting another chance. In the 57th minute of the match, Teslim struck a powerful shot, but Olami was equal to it. MBBS recycled the ball again, but the resulting shot hit the bar. With two minutes to the end of the game, Political Science, through Pogba, eventually got their consolatory goal after pouncing on a mix-up in the MBBS defense. However, the goal was inconsequential as the referee called the game to an end soon after.
Speaking at the end of the game, Ola, who scored both goals for MBBS, stated that it was a delight to see Olami’s brags go amiss. “We played against some players of this (POS) team a few days ago at the Gala Cup. Olami won the game for them against us, and I don’t want to call him our nemesis, but he has been troubling us for a while. I was just watching his moves then, and I’m happy that today, I took the opportunity [to score against him]. I’m really glad that I could humble him with two goals. He never expected it.” He also spoke about his team’s chances. “We are actually going to get the trophy because, like never before, we are determined. There are times when players sacrifice a whole lot of things to play, like classes. For example, I am supposed to travel for something, but I can’t because I already vowed that we are getting this thing again. We want to prove that we are the best team in UI, irrespective of the distance. And we are going to win it.”
Political Science’s captain, Pogba, in his chat with UIMSA Press. “I think the game was an end-to-end game, not taking anything away from MBBS. They played really well and had some great chances to bury the game too. At the end of the day, football is a game of goals. When you get your chance, you take it. And I think we were not clinical enough. We had a couple of chances to score too, and they actually cost us the game. I will say kudos to the boys [both Political and MBBS]. It’s football; it’s either you win, lose, or draw, and today, we lost.” At the end of the Super Cup, he mentioned that he was going to quit varsity football, but he came back for the SEALS Cup. The Press asked him about this, and he shared his future plans concerning football. “Actually, this is my last varsity football competition. I just came back from the league. I was fortunate to be around, and with persuasion from my teammates, I felt like, well, it’s the SEALS Cup. It is one of the competitions that I don’t have in my cabinet, so I decided to give it a try. I was hoping we would win the tournament, but I think this is the end of the road for me. I want to say a big shoutout to UI football, but this is where I call it an end.”
MBBS will now shift its focus to the semifinal fixture against familiar opponents, Petroleum Engineering, in the semifinals of the competition.
