Perfect end to an incredible journey for Goa & Bhubaneswar

It was evident that none of the teams in either of the cities would have a cakewalk towards the big trophy. We have a total of 8 champions from both the cities who put up in the hard yards on the day of the City Finals to emerge as the winners.

It was evident that none of the teams in either of the cities would have a cakewalk towards the big trophy. We have a total of 8 champions from both the cities who put up in the hard yards on the day of the City Finals to emerge as the winners. It was a day of numerous tightly contested finals, and the games were rich with quality football.

It all began with an intense fixture between Senior Boys of Rosary HSS and Govt. Higher Secondary School, which was pretty much in a balance till Half-Time where Rosary HSS were leading 1-0. However, in the second half, they came out even stronger and earned themselves the championship by winning the gane 4-0. At the same time, Bhubaneswar was hosting School Girls final between Govt. Girls High School and Kalinga Institute of Social Science School. The game ended with both the teams failing to open their account, and the match went into penalties where Govt. Girls High School won it by 3-2.

Junior Boys of Rosary HSS in Goa couldn’t get back on track and one goal by Progress High School in the second half was enough for them to be able to lift the trophy. A similar game was simultaneously being played out in Bhubaneswar, where BJB Junior College were neck-to-neck against Sai International School. The sides were able to score one goal each early in the first half. However, the second half went goalless and the game went into penalties. After ten flawlessly taken spot kicks, Sai International School’s goalkeeper managed to save one in the sudden death helping them lift the Junior Boys championship trophy.

The third game in Goa was between Fr. Agnel and Sridora Cacula College in the College Boys category. Fr. Agnel took an early lead but soon were disappointed to see a blunder from their goalkeeper. They led to the dugout at HT with the scoreline of 1-1. In the second half, Fr. Agnel didn’t take any chances and finished the game by scoring two more goals. With 3-1 as final scoreline, Fr. Agnel were crowned as College Boys Champions of Goa. In Bhubaneswar, Junior Boys of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences were up against Capital High School. The game had an attacking flair to it, but none of the teams leaked a single goal. Capital High School held their nerves till FT, but not beyond that. They failed to convert the spot kicks and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences won the championship on penalties by 3-1.

Our Lady of the Rosary Higher Secondary School faced Regina Martyrum High School in the School Girls category in Goa. Rosary HSS dominated the possession in the first half and managed to take an early lead but the second half was much easier than anticipated as they finished the game 3-0 to win the trophy. In the last game of the day in Bhubaneswar, College Boys of Ravenshaw University were up against Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences. Even though Kalinga Institute were the favourites based on their form in the tournament so far, Ravenshaw University showed their intent in the first half as they were clinical with their defence. The first half was goalless but in the second half, Kalinga Institute adapted their game according to the opponent and were successful in scoring three goals to win the Championship.

Both the cities saw brilliant games from highly talented bunch of youngsters. With a step away from the trophy, all the teams dealt with nervousness, pressure and expectations, and they did put up a great show of football. The winners will be proud and will get on with the preparations for National Qualifiers, where even bigger challenges await them.

Perfect end to an incredible journey for Goa & Bhubaneswar