Chandigarh crowns its new champions

It was a day to remember in RFYS Football tournament this year. The extremely skilled and talented finalists walked in the Post Graduate Government College-46 Stadium with a desire to win the trophy. This intriguing day saw the former champions being denied in Junior Boys category and the National Champions in Senior Boys category survive a scare en-route defending their City Championship title.

The first final of the day was between College Boys of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College and Rayat Bahra University. Sri Guru Gobind Singh College started the game on a positive note, leaving a rare chance for Rayat Bahra University to take control. They kept knocking on the door constantly and their efforts paid dividends in the 29th minute when they opened their account with Nishchal Chandan’s header. Post HT, they were even better, and Rayat Bahra University couldn’t hold their attackers for long as they went on to score three more goals in the last 45 minutes of the game. With a scoreline of 4-0 at FT, it has to be said that Sri Guru Gobind Singh College were the deserving winners of the College Boys Championship.

The next match was a contrasting one compared to the previous one. School Girls of Govt. Model Sr. Sec. School battled it out against St. Stephen’s School. While the first half comprised of equal amount of threats from both the sides, the game was still 0-0 at HT. However, in the second half, Govt. Model Sr. Sec. School took charge of the game. They held the maximum possession while St. Stephen’s were trying to sit back and find an opportunity to counter-attack. The strategy didn’t workout for St. Stephen’s as their opponents capitalized on a free-kick just outside the box which was brilliantly shot in the top right corner of the goal. The score didn’t change till the Full-Time whistle was blown and Govt. Model Sr. Sec. School were crowned as School Girls Champions of Chandigarh.

Two of the most anticipated matches of the day included the clash between Junior Boys of Himalaya Public School and Minerva Public School. The defending champions, Minerva Public School, were the favourites before the game started. Against the odds, they found a stern opposition in Himalaya Public School. The game was evenly poised until Minerva won a penalty and perfectly converted it on 27th minute to take the lead. Three minutes later, Himalaya Public School pounced on the opportunity and the confusion created in the box after their free-kick culminated in an equalizer. None of the teams were able to score a winner till FT and the game headed into penalties. Minerva failed to convert their last two penalties and Himalaya Public School won the championship 4-3 on penalties.

The last game of the day, Chitkara International School vs Minerva Public School, will probably stay fresh in the players’ and spectators’ minds for a long time. The two teams of Senior Boys category were playing attractive football with end-to-end attacks to get better of the other. One bad incident which violated the discipline of the game forced the referee to send off 4 players from each side. RFYS referees have been extremely strict about the disciplinary norms and this game was no exception. What transpired in the remaining 65 minutes was a display of delightful football as the game changed sides every now and then. In the 70th minute, Chitkara International School’s own goal helped Minerva take the lead, but their relief was short lived as Mananth Bahadur of Chitkara attempted a shot from 40 yards out and successfully found the corner of the far post. An equalizer in the 83rd minute and everyone was sensing another penalty shootout. However, the seven players left on the pitch from Minerva’s side had different plans. They pushed for the win and a screamer from outside the box in 88th minute took their side home, leaving hardly any time for Chitkara to make a comeback. Even though the Junior Boys of Minerva Public School couldn’t make it, the Senior Boys managed to retain their trophy for this year as well.

A day of extremely entertaining football in Chandigarh ended on a fair note and the champions will be looking forward to the National Qualifiers. National Qualifiers are also underway with the institutes of Shillong and Aizawl locking horns on the MFA Ground. The tournament has entered the concluding phase of the City Championship phase and soon, we will be heading into the biggest phase of the tournament, National Championship. Before that though, don’ forget to tune-in and catch the National Qualifiers and City Finals of Kolhapur LIVE on our Facebook page and website on November 23rd.

Chandigarh crowns its new champions