RFYS Season 4 Throwback Thursdays: National Championships, Day 8

It was time for another day of exciting semi-final fixtures as the School girls, Sub Junior Boys and College Boys took to the field on Day 8 of the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) National Championships. With a place in the finals at stake, the players entered the field at the Reliance Corporate Park, Mumbai with a determined look on their faces.

It was another day with perfect weather for a game of football and a total of six matches were played. A grand total of 14 goals were scored, with just one match needing penalty shootouts to separate both teams. You can check out the full list of results here.  

The Sub Junior Boys were the first to take the field and the action began with a closely fought game between Govt. Model HS, Chandigarh and Progress HS, Goa. There wasn’t much to separate the two sides as the game headed into penalties after finishing 1-1. The boys from Goa kept their cool and saw off their opponents to enter the Finals.

In the other semi-final of the Sub Junior Boys, Betkuchi HS, Guwahati prevailed 2-0 against The Unique Model Academy, Imphal. Both goals came from their midfielders in a devastating six-minute second-half spell.

The School Girls were up next and both semi-finals ended with a similar 1-0 scoreline. St. Joseph's International School, Hisar and Nilmani English School, Imphal beating Govt. Girls HSS, Namakkal and Titaguri HS, Kokrajhar respectively.

Both teams showed great nerves to hold onto their 1-0 leads and there were also a string of impressive saves which contributed to making this a thrilling contest. Check out the top 5 saves in this compilation.

The goals really started flying in when the College Boys began their semi-finals. Shillong College grabbed an early lead against Farook College, Kozhikode with a goal from Robert Khongjoh. However, the team from Kozhikode equalised with a well-worked goal in the second-half. That sparked the Shillong captain Phrangki Buam into life and he restored his team’s lead with a stunning strike just two minutes later, which helped Shillong progress into the Finals with a 2-1 win.

Dr. Bhupendranath Dutta Smriti Mahavidyalaya, Asansol and Indore Christian College was the last fixture of the day and the boys made sure it was one to remember. Asansol grabbed the lead just three minutes into the game but Indore quickly levelled the score in the 18th minute. The team from Asansol were constantly attacking and got their reward when Firoj Ali found the net, restoring their lead. Shubman Mane then got a third goal for Asansol in the second half and Indore College could only manage a late consolation strike as the match ended with a 3-2 scoreline.

The strikers were really sharp in the field on Day 8 and we’ve put together all their best moments in this compilation of top 5 goals for you to enjoy.

The winning teams left the field with a steely resolve, knowing that they’ve got to do it all one more time in the Finals before they can actually claim triumph. The teams who were knocked out were gracious in defeat as they returned once again to the drawing board to prepare themselves to come back stronger next season.