AUTOMOTIVE RULE

…Futsal giants beat Mudi Stars to win off season tourney

THE Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) Premier Futsal League giants Automotive Futsal Academy have added another trophy to their rich trophy cabinet after beating Mudi Stars 3-2 in a tightly contested final of the off season tournament played at the Automotive Futsal Arena.

Mudi Stars had beaten Chipata Boys 1-0 thanks to Michelo Kampwe’s screamer and cruised to the finals of the off season tournament with an unbeaten record.

Automotive had to come from behind to overcome Mudi Stars who were unfortunate to concede in extra time of the final to miss out on the K8000 first prize while settling for a K4000 as losing finalists.

Drilled by Italian gaffer, Andrea Cristoforetti, Automotive who beat Warriors 3-2 in the semifinals, were punished in the first half of the final when Mudi Stars found the back of the net to put the PFL Champions under pressure.

However, Automotive were able to recover in the second half and forced the game into extra time after a 2-2 stalemate. The Premier Futsal League champions showed character in the last ten minutes of extra time to snatch the winner which maintained their relevance as the kings of futsal in Zambia.

The win excited Cristoforetti who praised his boys for staying focused to win the off season tournament with an unbeaten record.

Cristoforetti said he was also happy with the competition exhibited by team during the off season tournament which had attracted a total of ten teams. The Italian gaffer who is also national team coach said he was also impressed by some players who showed a lot of potential to feature for the national futsal team which is scheduled to play a friendly game against Angola in September.