New Radiant takes the win with Sentey's hat-trick defeats Victory

New Radiant has surged to the top of the league table, defeating Victory Sports Club 4-0, courtesy of a hat-trick from Ali Fasir (Sentey).

New Radiant clinched the first position by equaling the points of former table-toppers Maziya and gaining the lead on goal difference.

Both teams have won all four of their matches, accumulating 12 points. New Radiant now has a goal difference of +14, edging out Maziya, which is currently second with a goal difference of +13.

Despite the match being promoted as the "Rasvaadhaa", the excitement anticipated was not fully reflected on the pitch. The clubs had incorporated the historical rivalry and colors of their past jerseys into the promotion campaign. However, the pre-match hype had little impact on the match itself.

Fewer supporters attended this first division clash than the match between the two teams in the 2nd Division in 2022. This was the first first-division encounter between the two clubs after a seven-year gap.

In the match played at the National Football Stadium today, New Radiant's biggest difference-maker was their captain, Ali Fasir (Sentey). Sentey scored two goals within the first 15 minutes.

Victory started the match with their new signing, former Syrian national goalkeeper Mahmoud Al Youssef, who joined the team during the league break earlier this month. The team's previous three matches were guarded by the national team's third-choice goalkeeper, Mohamed Yameen.

Sentey's first goal for New Radiant came in the seventh minute. He received a through ball from Hassan Raif Ahmed (Hanna) from around the midfield line while completely unmarked. Although goalkeeper Mahmoud advanced to challenge the ball, Sentey sent it into the net, giving him no chance.

Sentey scored his second goal in the 13th minute, assisted by New Radiant’s Brazilian forward, Nixon Brizolara. Nixon passed the ball to Sentey near Victory's defenders. Sentey managed to create space for himself by dribbling past the Victory players before finding the back of the net.

In the first half, Sentey also created chances for Mohamed Shahah and Hanna, but they failed to capitalize.

In the second half, Hanna prematurely celebrated what he thought was a goal, but the referee ruled it out, finding that a New Radiant player was offside before the goal was scored.

New Radiant's fourth goal was scored in the 79th minute by Ahmed Husham (Hushankko), assisted by Sente, who completed his hat-trick of assists. Sente's pass, delivered from midfield, was timed perfectly, anticipating Husham's run. Husham controlled the ball, entered the box, and slotted it into the goal after successfully rounding goalkeeper Mahmoud.

New Radiant is the only team in the league that has not conceded a goal. Their Pakistani goalkeeper, Saqib Haneef, has maintained a clean sheet for four consecutive matches. Saqib also delivered an excellent performance for the Pakistan national team in both Asian Cup qualifying matches during the recent international break.