Throwback to Football National Championship 2017-18
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Buildup to the National Championship Final
It’s been almost four months since the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) 2017-18 Football National Championship concluded in Mumbai. After a successful first season in 2016, which covered eight cities, RFYS expanded even further and reached out to young, budding footballers in 17 cities all over India.
The tournament started in Kochi where Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of RFYS, inaugurated the season along with ISL’s Kerala Blasters player CK Vineeth. After successfully conducting City and Zonal Championships in multiple cities, the RFYS Football National Championship commenced on 29th December in Mumbai.
The players from all over the country made Beverly Park, Mumbai their home for the National Championship. The kids were welcomed to their rooms with a special box that had customized jerseys provided by RFYS. They also engaged in various off the field activities which included playing indoor games in a dedicated chill zone and doing a lip-read challenge. Also, a special New Year party was organized for the kids which included cutting a cake along with singing performances as well as cultural dancing. All these fun activities made sure that the kids had a blast during their stay and went home with some memorable moments.
Highlights
To start off the National Championship final, Minerva Public School faced off against Rosary Higher Secondary School in the Senior Boys category. The stage was set for Minerva Public School to win this highly hyped up contest and they dominated the proceedings from the word go. Their determination paid off in the 10th minute when they struck the ball in Rosary’s nets. Rosary had the chance to get back in the game after being 2-0 down when they were awarded a penalty. But luck wasn’t on their side as they missed it and later conceded two goals more in the second half. At the end of the full-time whistle, the score read 4-0 in Minerva’s favour and they were crowned the Senior Boys Football Champions.
The second final was played between the School Girls, wherein Umthli Secondary School took on P.S. Senior Secondary School. Umthli were the clear favourites owing to their dominance in the City and Zonal Championships and also due to their main striker Nisilia Majaw’s form throughout the tournament. P.S Senior Secondary School put on a good defensive show in the first half and kept it 0-0 at half-time. In the second half, Umthli Secondary School put the foot on the pedal and broke the deadlock in the 36th minute. Shortly after that, they scored three more goals and ended the game as 4-0 winners. Nisilia scored a brace and was awarded the Player of the Match for her match winning performance.
The third final was in the Junior Boys category where the immensely talented players from Minerva Public School, Chandigarh, were the favourites to lift the trophy. Coming into the final with an undisputed record in the National Championship, they squared up against The Unique Model Academy, Imphal. Surprisingly, The Unique Model drew first blood and took the lead in the 3rd minute of the game after which Minerva reacted strongly and equalized two minutes later. At full-time, the game ended in a 3-3 stalemate and the match went to penalty shootouts. In the end, The Unique Model rose to the occasion and snatched victory from Minerva Public School.
There’s nothing sweeter in the game of Football than making a comeback in the dying minutes of the game. It was a neutral spectator’s dream come true when Baselius College and Zakir Hussain College took on each other for the College Boys title. Baselius College scored a goal in the 34th minute of the game and managed to keep a good attacking side like Zakir Hussain quiet for most of the game. A couple of substitutions turned the momentum in Zakir Hussain’s favour and they finally equalized in the 86th minute, giving a new impetus to the game. The match looked all set to go to penalty shootout when Karmanya Bansal beat Baselius’ goalkeeper and made it 2-1 for Zakir Hussain in the 92nd minute of the game. As the full-time whistle was blown, a joyful Zakir Hussain side had completed a famous comeback to be crowned the RFYS College Boys Champions.
Season 3 Coming Soon
A power packed second season came to a befitting end in Mumbai and set up a great foundation for the next season of RFYS. The upcoming season is scheduled to start in the second half of the year and it promises to be the biggest season ever.
Keep following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to know when the registration period starts for RFYS 2018-19.
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