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Even as the girls from Haryana’s Senior Higher Secondary School scored a convincing 5-2 triumph over Tamil Nadu’s St Mary’s High Secondary School, showing their continued dominance in the Junior Girls (Under-17) Subroto Cup Football Tournament, the 56th edition saw another strong contender emerging in 14 Battalion NCC squad from Imphal, who thumped a hapless Army Public School, Noida, 8-0 at the Ambedkar Stadium here today.
With the first set of quarterfinals slated for this Saturday, it will be interesting to watch both the Haryana and Manipur, if and when they came face to face during the knockout phase. But that is a scenario possible later.
For now, how the Haryana girls, especially their captain Nisha Bagoria took it upon herself to help the Rewari team emerge winners on the day against a tough Tamil Nadu outfit. Both teams had a tight defence and excellent midfield working in close coordination. Yet what made the difference between winning and losing was Nisha, the quick-footed striker who accounted for three of her team’s goals, one in the first half and two in the second session.
Nisha wishes to play for the country and has the potential to do that in the near future. The youngest in the family, she had a lot of convincing to do before her parent let her pursue the sport. The girl has 13 goals in her kitty from the two matches she had played so far.
Earlier, Varsha paved the way for a smooth passage by hitting the target twice in the sixth minute and 32nd minute. Given the support that the Rewari girls got from teammates, it must be said K. Rasika of St Mary’s had to be the lone torch-bearer for her side. Whenever the ball came in her possession, she was able to make it count. But she would have wished the ball had come to her more often.
As for the NCC girls from Manipur, they played like true professionals and it was visible right from the moment they stepped on the field. Though W Raj Bala Devi was the team’s star cast with five goals, including one during injury time in the 61st minute, it T H Premita Devi (2) who gave the grand start in the fifteenth minute. From where it was Raj Bala Devi’s show even as S. Thoibi Devi slotted one in the 40th minute.
Raja Bala sprang into action in the second half opening with a goal in the 32nd minute. Her powerful grounder brooked no challenge from the rival goalkeeper. Then it became a routine affair for the striker who scored two minutes later and then in the 52nd and 54th before winding up with her fifth goal in the closing minutes. All the while the Noida outfit was a mute spectator unable to thwart the opponent’s surge towards them.
In this mayhem unleashed by both Haryana and Manipur teams, there was a sober kind of football between SAM GMR Sports School, Kerala, and Mamta Rukhmani Sewa Sangh, Chhattisgarh. Probably, the two teams were more worried about their safety than indulging in hardcore football. So much so, the teams preferred to play ball against one another and not press hard for the goals. Yet, the Chhattisgarh team managed to score once in the 47th minute through Kritika for full points. And when the Kerala girls did press after being in arrears, it was too late in the day as Chhattisgarh stoutly defended their citadel.
In last match at Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi NCR’s Rashtriya Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya defeated Sarla Bhupendranath Sarkar High School (West Bengal) 2-0. The one-sided match saw Pampa (18th minute) and Sunita (25) scoring for the winners.
Sainik boys scrape through
In the Under-14 Sub-Junior Boys section, Sainik School (Imphal) defeated Don Bosco High School, Panjim 3-2 at the NWC ground in the morning. The Imphal outfit struck all their goals in the first session itself with D. Mowarson opening the scoring in the first minute itself. He was followed by Jebeth Dousel (9) and Wronra (16).
When the teams resumed soon after break, the Goan side reduced margin through Shanon in the 28th minute and again in the 38th minute through Alger. But their desperate efforts to draw the match never fructified, thanks to a solid defence in the closing minutes of the Imphal side.
| S.No. | Team | Goals | Team | Goals | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under-17, Girls Ambedkar Stadium | |||||
| 1 | Meghalaya – MyngkenHigher Sec School | 5 | Sai North East region | 3 | 3-May |
| 2 | Kerala - SAMGMR Sports School | 0 | Chattisgarh - Mamta Rukmani Seva Sansthan | 1 | 0-1 |
| 3 | NCC (Manipur) - NCC14 BN | 8 | U.P. - Army Public School (U.P.)Sector 37 Noida | 0 | Aug-00 |
| 4 | Tamilnadu – St. Mary’s Higher Sec. School | 2 | Haryana – Sr. Sec. School | 5 | 5-Feb |
| 5 | Jharkhand – Hazaribagh High School, Hazaribagh | 19 | Air force Bal Bharti School | 0 | 19-0 |
| 6 | Delhi NCR - | 0 | West Bengal- Sarla Bhupendranath Sarkar High School | 2 | 0-2 |
| NWC | |||||
| 1 | (Under 14 Boys) Chandigarh – St. Johns High School | 11 | Daman & Diu – Coast Gurad Public School | 0 | Nov-00 |
| 2 | Manipur – Sainik School | 3 | Goa – Don Bosco High School | 2 | 2-Mar |
| (Under 17 Girls) | |||||
| 3 | Mizoram – PresbyterianEng. Sch.. | 8 | Maharashtra – KD Vidyalaya Jr. College | 0 | Aug-00 |
| (Under 14 Boys) | |||||
| 4 | Meghalaya – HELIAS Higher Sec. Sch | 2 | Bangladesh – Kreeda Shikksha Pratisthan | 0 | Feb-00 |
| 5 | Afghanistan- | 4 | Sikkim – Namchi Sports Hostel | 0 | Apr-00 |
