RFDL REGIONAL QUALIFIERS IN MANIPUR RECAP: CLASSIC FA & SAI-RC MAKE THE CUT

The Regional Qualifiers of Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) Season 2 concluded as 20 teams made it to the National Group Stage.

From the Manipur region, Classic FA were crowned champions and SAI-RC followed them as the second team to qualify for the next phase of the league.

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Separated by a five-point margin Classic FA dominated the proceedings throughout the campaign by being head and shoulders above everyone in all areas of the pitch. The eventual champions amassed 23 points total across 10 games, winning seven, drawing two and losing just once.

Their journey started with a nail-biting 2-1 victory against Poloi Football Club after which they showed no signs of slowing down scoring eight goals in their next two games. They suffered their only defeat in Round 4 against North Eastern Sporting Union with the latter clinching a 1-0 victory.

Following a rather lull phase, Classic FA produced a turnaround as they returned to winning ways. The 11-0 win over Wangoi FA saw them climb the table and cement their position at the summit. They managed to score a total of 31 goals and conceded just three, keeping seven clean sheets, thereby topping all the charts as well.

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The spot for second place, however, was tightly contested as SAI-RC and North Eastern Sporting Union went neck-and-neck in contention to qualify for the National Group Stage. NESU being the only team to usurp the champions were running high on confidence and amassed a total of 18 points throughout while also bagging 30 goals in the process.
With a goal difference of +17, they would’ve qualified if not for one other team. SAI-RC, who despite having a lesser goal difference (+2), had reigned victorious against the former team twice with their star man Kharibam Pravananda Meitei bagging the winner on both occasions.

Kharibam also held the joint-record for the fastest goal scored in the Manipur Regional Qualifiers when he opened the scoring against Football 4 Change Academy in just three minutes. Not only that, the star goalscorer managed to bag 10 goals which made him the joint-top scorer in the Manipur region alongside Serito Worneilen Kom from Classic Football Academy who also managed to reach double-digits.
In the National Group Stage, Classic FA and SAI-RC are placed in the Imphal group along with ATK Mohun Bagan FC, NorthEast United FC and Shillong Lajong FC. It remains to be seen whether a Manipuri team can make it through to the National Championship Stage.

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