The group stage of the 2016 CONIFA World Football Cup continued on Tuesday, with four exciting games across two cities. Check out our full match wraps below.
Northern Cyprus 7 – 0 Raetia, Gagra
World Football Cup contenders Northern Cyprus maintained their unbeaten start to the tournament, routing Raetia at Daur Akhvlediani Stadium in Gagra. Esin Sonay scored an impressive hat-trick in the win, while Halil Turan bagged a brace.
The Cypriots now face the United Koreans of Japan in the first quarter-final, while Raetia will compete in a placement game.
United Koreans of Japan 0 – 3 Kurdistan, Sukhum
A powerful display from Kurdistan earned them top spot in Group B, defeating the United Koreans of Japan 3-0 in sunny Sukhum. The Kurds opened the scoring in the 25th minute, before converting a penalty on the stroke of half-time to give the team a commanding lead at the break.
Despite several attacking opportunities, the United Koreans of Japan were unable to break through and Kurdistan sealed the result with a third goal.
Panjab 5 – 0 Somaliland, Gagra
Panjab continued their strong run of form with a 5-0 victory over Somaliland in beautiful Gagra, thanks to a hat-trick from Amar Purewal and goals to Gurjit Singh and Arjun Purewal. Singh, who plays in England for Kidderminster Harriers, also scored in Panjab’s previous encounter with Sapmi and will be key when his side faces Western Armenia in the quarter-final.
While Somaliland players were disappointed with a second consecutive loss, the team has battled valiantly in both games and will look to record a win in their placement game
Highlights coming soon.
Abkhazia 1 – 0 Western Armenia, Sukhum
Hosts Abkhazia cemented their status as tournament favourites with a thrilling 1-0 victory against Western Armenia. In front of a sell-out crowd in Sukhum, the home side scored early but had to repel several threatening Western Armenian attacks.
Abkhazia coach Beslan Adjinjal spoke to the media following the win. “We are very proud to play before our people, and there was absolutely no spare space in the stadium,” he observed. “We are very confident of winning the 2016 World Football Cup – playing in our home country gives us great confidence.”
On Wednesday 1 May, the United Koreans of Japan tackle Northern Cyprus in the first quarter-final at 3pm local time (GMT+3). Sapmi then face Abkhazia at 8pm local time. Both games are in Sukhum. Watch live on SolidTango or follow match updates on MobStats. Also be sure to follow our tournament updates on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.