The game was won in sudden death as DSK Shivajians won 5-4 in the shootout after the game ended 0-0 at the Nagoa sports complex ground, Goa on Tuesday (February 6, 2018).

Despite the stalemate, the game was not short of action and the penalty shootout offered a dramatic end to the game. The result saw BFC lose the opportunity to advance to a first-ever final despite a dominant display in the 90 minutes of the game. With a penalty shootout needed to declare a winner, Bengaluru FC took the first kick in the shootout. Arkaprabha Das coolly converted his kick to put BFC 1-0 in front. DSK level things through Seigoumang Doungel as it became 1-1.

Aryan Sonowal took the second kick but his attempt was saved by Rewang Dorjee Lepcha. But the referee instructed for a second take as Lepcha was off his line before the shot. Aryan beat Lepcha the second time out. A pivotal moment in the game came when Bawi Rou Sang’s effort was punched away by BFC keeper Herojit Singh. Singh was brought on specifically for the shootout as he replaced Dipesh Chauhan who played the 90 minutes.

Singh put BFC in advantage as they were up 2-1. Manish Chaudhary (BFC) and Sonminthang Haokip (DSK) scored their kicks as it became 3-2. But Bengaluru relinquished their lead when Saikat Das shot wide of the post. And Mintu Mech helped DSK draw level at 3-3.

Both teams scored from their fifth kicks as Lalhmunmawia FC (BFC) and DSK keeper Rewang Lepcha scored to make it 4-4 and forced the sudden-death. Shresth Joshi’s miss for Bengaluru FC helped Zamlunmang win the game for the Pune-outfit.

At the start of the game, Bengaluru FC had started out stronger. They were pressing and harrying the DSK Shivajians into losing possession and playing loose passes. One such moment saw DSK custodian lepcha’s distribution get intercepted by Fredy Chawngthansanga try to beat Lepcha who was out of position. But Lepcha managed to punch it out.

Due to the sustained pressure, the best chances for Shivajians were through shots from distance. One such opportunity from Rajesh Shendre had to be tipped onto the crossbar by Bengaluru goalkeeper Dipesh Chauhan. The Bengaluru frontline of Saikat Das, Aryan Sonwal, and Francis Vanlaldika were working in tandem and were slicing open the Shivajians defence. But their defence held on.

The two sides restricted each other to half-chances and ended up cancelling each other out. In the end, it went down to the wire and Shivajians came out on top.

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The tightly contested semi-final clash at the Nagoa Sports Complex in Goa ended goalless before champions Minerva gave coach Harpreet Bedi a reason to smile. Two misses in the penalty shoot-out proved costly as the young Aizawl players were left in tears but Jahar Das’ boys had fought till the end.

Ajitkumar Meetei, Abishek Verma, Bijo Singh and Thoiba Singh scored for Minerva while Lalchhanhima Sailo missed in the penalty shootout. As for Aizawl, only David Ramtharlawma and R Lalruatkima scored with Lal Famikima and C Laiphei missing to hit the target.

From the first minute, both sets of youngsters made an energetic start to the game. The first piece of goalmouth action arrived early on when Aizawl’s Lal Engliana squared a pass to Ayush Chhetri who couldn’t connect with the ball as it went off target.

At the other end, Minerva Punjab kept on creating chances. A move down the right flank saw Samson dink a ball into the box. The ball fell invitingly close to Hemam Bijo Singh who couldn’t keep his shot down as it flew well over the bar. The defending champions had a host of goal-scoring chances but they were wasteful in front of goal.

A great opportunity fell to Samson when the Aizawl backline didn’t clear a ball out of the box. Samson stole the ball but his shot from six-yards out was blazed over the bar. Aizawl stayed solid in defence and other than a yellow card for David Ramtharlawma, they contained the champions. Meanwhile, Minerva Punjab also managed to keep the impressive Ayush Chhetri and Lal Famkima quiet.

At half-time, Minerva were left ruing their wastefulness in front of goal while Aizawl had the chance to regroup for the second half. After the changeover, Aizawl’s Famkima attempted a difficult chance when he tried to turn and shoot but Minerva keeper Jaskarenvir Singh had an easy save to make. Arjun Sharma also tried a tame shot that was easy pickings for Aizawl custodian Zodin Puia.

It was a tightly contested affair and both were locked in battle.But Aizawl had a nervy moment around the hour mark when Zodin spilt a ball right in front of Arjun Sharma who couldn’t react in time. The Aizawl defence closed him down in time but Minerva could have easily gone ahead. Famkima tried a hand at goal when he was released with a brilliant through ball by Bijo Singh. But the striker hit a tame shot that was too easy for Jaskarenvir Singh to hold on to.

Time ran out and penalty ensued eventually where Minerva Punjab FC went onto win by the finest of margins. Defending Champions Minerva Punjab FC will take on DSK Shivajians in the grand finale which will be hosted at the Bambolim Ground in Goa day-after-tomorrow (February 8, 2018).

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Right from the start, Minerva started to attack the opponent’s defence and it only took them, 3 minutes to build up their first proper attack of the match, though it did not result in a goal. Minerva scored the first goal of the match through their captain Jeakson Singh within the ten-minute mark.

This out of the world long-range made the people present at the stadium go into a frenzy. The goal shot was taken at least 15 metres away from the penalty box.

Minerva had the chance to double up their lead at the 10th minute of the match but the cross from their left-winger was just an inch away from Md. Shahjahan.

The second goal came 4 minutes after the first one from Sailo. This goal was an exact replica of the first one, expect this one went inside the top left corner of the goal and the first one was banged into the right corner of the goalpost.

Even after getting the second goal, Minerva boys didn’t slow down a bit they kept on playing their brand of pressing football and tiki-taka football.

Throughout the first half of the match, the Minerva defence did a great job by nipping all the possible dangers in the bud. Ozone FC Bengaluru hardly got any proper chance to take a shot onto the Minerva goal.

Thanks to the pressing football by the Minervans and a perfect assist from Sailo, Md. Shahjahan nailed the final one in the Ozone FC coffin on 33 minutes.

Needless to say, Minerva completely dominated the first half of the match and they headed to the changing room with a handsome 3-0 lead.

In the second half, just when it seemed Ozone FC were starting to settle down and getting a hang of the match, the Minervans came out and put up two back-to-back attacks.

At the 51st minute, Minerva almost had their fourth goal but unfortunately for them, it was ruled an offside. Then two minutes later, Minerva was awarded a free-kick outside the box. Had it not been a brilliant save by the Ozone FC goalkeeper  Gurmeet Singh, the score line could have been 4-0 in favour of the Minerva boys.

Minerva could afford to replace their first-choice goalie in the 75th minute. However, both of the Minerva goalies, who stood under the woodwork tonight, were hardly tested by the opponent attackers.

Ozone’s best chance of minimising the gap came on 83 minutes but yet again the Minerva defence was up to the task. The danger was averted with a beautifully executed sliding tackle.

The most commendable part was that both the team maintained a high tempo throughout the match. Moreover, for Ozone FC, who came into the second half with a deficit of three goals, never for a moment gave up the fight, even during the extra time they were running after the ball with utmost zeal, they always had the hunger for goal in their game but it seems the game planning let them down.

Ozone FC, who earned huge accolades for their bravado on their debut season, are awarded a cheque of INR 1.5 Lac whereas Minerva Punjab FC are bestowed with the snazzy Nike Premier Cup trophy and a hefty cheque of INR 5 Lac.

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Minerva Academy who are also the defending champions having won the inaugural edition have their task cut out when they face Ozone FC. Both the teams have a lot in common, while Ozone FC has found the net 15 times so far conceding just twice in the mean time, Minerva Punjab as too managed to net 13 goals while concedimg just twice themselves.

However, while Ozone marched into the finals brushing past Shillong Lajong 4-1 in the semis, Minerva Punjab were made to struggle against another Bengaluru side Bengaluru FC in an close encounter. Both the teams will be careful of their opponent’s strong defence line when they meet each other for the finals.

The match will be held at Cooperage Stadium, Mumbai with 7 PM kick-off under lights on 10^th Feb. Expect an feisty encounter as Minerva Punjab look to defend their title and get hold of the second consecutive Nike Premier Cup trophy, while Ozone would look to etch their name on the trophy too.

Kick Off: 7:00 PM IST, Friday, 10^th Feb.

Venue: Cooperage Stadium, Mumbai

Also Read: Minerva Punjab FC edge past Bengaluru FC to reach 2nd consecutive final of NPC

An Exhibition Game

An Exhibition game is also in the store for football fans of Mumbai. Early in the day, Former India Football Captain Baichung Bhutia will team up with players of semi-finalists team for a game against All Stars Football Club that will have Bollywood celebrities Abhishek Bachchan and Sidharth Malhotra in their ranks. Be ready to witness a cracker of a contest when the All Stars Football Club take on Bhaichung Bhutia XI at the Cooperage Ground but stay till the end, for the match of the night when Minerva Punjab face Ozone FC in the evenings.

Time: 4:45PM onwards Friday, 10^th Feb.                                             

Venue: Cooperage Stadium, Mumbai

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Defending champions Minerva Punjab FC are just one step away from their second Nike Premier Cup title in as many years. After carving out a close 1-0 win over Bengaluru FC colts, Minerva will now face another Bengaluru side Ozone FC, who defeated Shillong Lajong FC in the first semi Final.

Both the teams started on a cautious note playing end to end football but failing to break opposition defence. Minerva seemed a slightly a better side having managed a couple of shots that went off target. But in the 22^nd minute, Minerva forward went down injured as he was soon replaced by Nongdamba Naorem.

Soon BFC came in the game with midfielder Amay Morajkar pulling the strings but in the end failing to break the deadlock. Both teams entered the break at score 0-0.

The second half started with blues looking to attack the right but it was Minerva that took the lead in the 50^th minute. Striker Sahajahan’s perfect corner found substitute Nongdamba in place as he headed the ball straight into the net.

Blues started to attack in search of equaliser with a flurry of attacks but Minerva defence held on. In the last ten minutes, Bengaluru boys came very close in finding the net with a couple of free-kicks and some corners but failed to make any difference on the score-line.

In the first minute of injury time, Minerva had a chance to finish off the game with two close-range efforts being brilliantly saved by Blues defence. Minerva held on to the lead for the final few minutes without much trouble as the game ended 1-0.

Minerva Punjab will now face Ozone FC for the final of Nile Premier Cup on 10^th Feb.

Bengaluru FC – Mohammed S (Gk), Tomnay Saha, Mohammad Khan, Rahul Rajan, Amay Morajkar(L Coloney 68’), Nonganba Singh, Lalrintluanga Chawnglut (Vijay Thangavel 57’), Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Ansar, Rajil S

Booking – Yellow – Arshdeep singh 66’

Minerva Punjab FC – Bharat Singh(GK), M. T. Singh, Ashem Meitei, Mohammed Shah, Arun Kumar, MD. ShahJahan, Amarjeet Mishra(Jagjeet Singh 55’), Naorem Singh, Taranpreet Singh, Luntinmang Haokip(N Naorem 22’), Md. Qais Khan(T J Singh 60’)

Booking – Yellow – Naorem Singh 82’, Md. Qais Khan 60’

Bengaluru FC 0 – 1 Minerva Punjab FC (Naorem 50’)

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Ozone FC continued their unbeaten run in the Under-16 Nike Premier cup after they breezed past Shillong Lajong FC in the first semi-final of the day.

After an even opening minutes, Ozone opened the scoring in the 20^th minute through a counter attack on the left, Ozone’s Ignatius John cross resulted in a goalmouth melee inside the box but after the Lajong keeper Akash Thapa managed to save the initial danger the ball once again fell back to the now unmarked Ignatius, who made no mistake in dispatching it to the net with the Goal Keeper off his position.

Eight minutes later, another cross from the right saw Lajong defender handling the ball inside the box conceding a silly penalty, Ozone’s Ajay converted the spot-kick by dispatching the ball to the top-left corner as the keeper judged the wrong way.

Soon Shillong Lajong pulled one back from an attack of their own from the right, Lajong winger ran past couple of defenders before taking a shot from the box which was deflected away by the Ozone keeper Niraj Kumar but only as far as another Lajong forward Parvaj who fired it into the goal to make it 1-2. Both the teams entered the break without troubling the score any further.

Also Read: Mohammed Salim – The first Indian Footballer to Play in Europe

The second half started with Lajong in more attacking mode looking for an equaliser However it was Ozone that found the next. In the 75^th minute, Ignatius John made it 3-1 after Manvir Singh’s initial shot from edged of the box was saved by Akash Thapa.

Nearing the end of the game, another attacking move from Ozone saw Lajong keeper Akash come off his line outside of his box to stop the ball in a one-on-one situation but his decision to jump against onrushing Ozone forward was deemed dangerous as Referee gave him his marching orders. Ozone converted the free-kick thanks to Manvir Singh’s amazing shot as making it 4-1 with just minutes to full time.

The match ended without any further change as Ten-man Shillong Lajong bowed out of the league

Ozone FC – Niraj Kumar(GK), Gurmeet Singh, Oinam Singh, Ajay Alex A, R.K. Chiranjan Singh, Manvir Singh, Umashankar (Kundom Singh 68’), Saurabh Meher (D Dhanush 85’), Rohmingthanga, Mohammed Rasheed, Ignatius John(T.H. Imran Khan 90’)

Bookings- None

Shillong Lajong FC- Akash Thapa(GK), Muhammad Ahmed, Habymmutshum Nongrum, Ramdinmawia Hnamte, Tomonbha lapang, Jeremy Laldinpuia(Bijay Pandey 84’), Samuel Lyngdoh Kynshi(Lallawmkima lallawmkima 90+2’), Baiaikara Swer, Donboklang Lyngdoh, Burnes Raj, Parvaj Bhuiya

Bookings- Yellow – Habymmutshum Nongrum(27’), Jeremy Laldinpuia(20’), Parvaj Bhuiya(85’)

Red – Akash Thapa(90+1)

Final Score: Ozone FC 4 (Ignatius John 20’, 75’, Manvir Singh 90+3’, Ajay Alex 20’) – 1 Shillong Lajong FC- (Parvaj Bhuiya 37’)

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The match ended 1-1 in regulation time after Phrangki Buam’s (77) goal was cancelled out by Givson Singh (79).

Phrangki however missed the first spot-kick of the shoot-out while Hmingsang Zuala hit the crossbar when the score was tied at 3-3.

Substitute Prasan Chhetri stepped up and struck the winning penalty as Minerva Academy became the champions after winning 4-3.

The match was played under the watchful eyes of India U-17 coach Nicolai Adam while Kushal Das, General Secretary of All India Football Federation and Sunando Dhar, CEO of I-League were also present for the final.

The match started at a frantic pace with end-to-end football at the display and the first real chance of the match fell to Royal Wahingdoh in the 13^th minute.

Phrangki swung a free-kick which kept low and was met by Thongram Singh with a diving header only to miss the target by inches.

Wahingdoh kept probing and were denied a goal only by Minerva goalkeeper Jaskarenvir Singh in the 26^th minute.

A swift counter-attack saw Freestar Kharbangar feed skipper Rheadolf Nelson Daloi with a defence splitting pass. Rheadolf’s first touch was heavy but managed to get his shot away only for the goalkeeper to prevent a goal with an outstretched leg.

As the half was drawing to a close, Minerva forward Shubham produced a moment of class in the 40^th minute.

The forward wrong-footed defender Rakesh Singh with an exquisite nutmeg before dinking the ball towards goal from outside the box only to see it hit the crossbar and go out.

There were no goals to show in a lively first half as the referee blew the whistle for half-time.

Minerva were beginning to stretch Wahingdoh as they looked dominant after the change-over. Minerva attacker Givson Singh who had opened the scoring in the semi-final with a long ranger almost scored in similar fashion. However, his shot from distance thundered the crossbar before being cleared away by the Wahingdoh defence.

After 77 minutes of play, Wahingdoh broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion. Midfielder Rickyson Makdoh won a duel with Luntinmang Haokip in midfield before feeding Phrangki. The attacker controlled the ball before smashing the ball into the net from 35 yards out.

If the opening goal was spectacular, the equalizer was equally spectacular.

Just two minutes after Phrangki’s goal when Wahingdoh were settling into their formations, Minerva man Givson tried his luck from the right flank with an audacious curling shot that beat Wahingdoh keeper Kevinson all ends up to restore parity.

After 90 minutes of play, there was no clear winner as Phrangki’s opener was cancelled out by Givson to force extra-time.

There was the only notable opportunity in extra-time as the match went into the shoot-out and Minerva held their nerve to win the title.

The post Minerva Academy FC Etch Their Name In History Winning Maiden Edition Of Nike Premier Cup appeared first on Football Counter.

“We have taken it one match at a time and it has come to this. Minerva Academy FC are tough opponents because they are a strong team physically and when it comes to eleven versus eleven, they are a very good team,” Nongbet explained about the task at hand.

The North-eastern side were the first side to qualify for the final after they outplayed the Kolkata-based side United Sports Club with a 3-0 victory.

It was a comprehensive win with Wahingdoh captain Rheadolf Nelson Daloi leading from the front. The skipper scored the first goal and also won the penalty from which Wahingdoh scored again on course to victory.

“We are a good team and always give our best. We learn lessons from every match and we have the experience which can give us the victory,” Rheadolf said.

Meanwhile, The Chandigarh outfit will also be turning to their captain Manveer Singh who has been one of their most consistent performers throughout the tournament.

“We are ready for a fight tomorrow. The team combination is working well for us and we are confident that we have what it takes to win the Cup,” Manveer suggested.

Minerva qualified for the final after overcoming a dogged Mohammedan Sporting side who frustrated Minerva in the first half by shutting out their attackers.

The game turned on its head after Mohammedan defender Debraj Rakshit got sent off early in the second half and Minerva eventually scored two goals.

“We have a lot of endurance training and we know that this side can overcome any team. We have already played a match against Wahingdoh but we will definitely aim at winning the final and this team is very confident,” a confident Minerva coach Surinder Singh said.

After the semi-final, Mohammedan coach Murari Kar was all praise for the Chandigarh side saying that having 6-foot tall players play in a U-15 league is great for the future of Indian football.

The final will be a contest between a physically formidable outfit against a technically proficient team as the teams fight it out to become the best U-15 side in the country, the champions of the Nike Premier Cup 2016.

by i-league media

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It was a cagey start as Minerva AFC were the attacking side and Mohammedan Sporting were engaged in keeping their opponents at bay. After a slow start, the first shot on target came in the 22nd minute when Minerva AFC winger Prasan Chhetri took a first-time shot that was saved at the near post by Mohammedan goalkeeper Aftab Alam.

Mohammedan also became braver going forward and Rahul Sarkar tried to dink a cross into the box which almost wrong footed the keeper and crept into the goal but ended up on top of the net.

The best chance of the first half fell to Shubham Sarangi who struck the post with a powerful strike in the 35th minute and tested the Black Panthers keeper Aftab with a close-range header.

The rest of the half was played at frantic pace and the first yellow of the game was picked up by Taranpreet Singh for a barge on Raja Mondal. Not long after, Taranpreet’s teammate Thoiba Singh went into the referee’s book for a sliding tackle on Mohammedan skipper Kaushik Saha.

As the half was drawing to a close, Mohammedan SC picked up their first yellow when Debraj Rakshit pulled down Thoiba. The half ended 0-0 as both teams struggled to find a breakthrough.

Minerva AFC came off the blocks in the second half and almost scored when Shubham toe-poked the ball just inches wide and injured himself in the process.

However, the turning point of the match came in the 51st minute when Debraj picked up his second yellow for a challenge on Givson Singh to get his marching order.

Minerva AFC capitalised on the one-man advantage and struck within a few minutes. Chettri slid a pass to Givson who took a touch before half-volleying the ball from 25 yards out. Goalkeeper Aftab was left stranded as the ball whizzed into the top corner.

Mohammedan SC struggled after going a man down and a goal down and Minerva AFC started dominating, eventually doubled their lead in the 81st minute. Minerva won a free-kick near the edge of the box and Thounaojam Jeakson Singh smashed a piledriver that struck the crossbar and landed in the back of the net to cap off a comfortable victory.

Following this victory, Minerva AFC, who were being touted as the favourites by Royal Wahingdoh FC, will take on the highlanders in the final of the maiden edition of Nike Premier Cup to clinch the coveted trophy.

I-League Media Team

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