~ The all-new 4 vs 4 tournament comes with a unique twist in upping the ante in the first and last minute of the ten-minute matches when goals count double.

27^th March 2023, India: Red Bull Four 2 Score is on the hunt for national champions across five continents and in more than 25 countries. From Brazil to the USA, Kenya to the UAE, and Spain all the way to the far east of South Korea – Red Bull Four 2 Score challenges male and female footballers all over the world to show their best small-field football skills and represent their country at the World Final at RB Leipzig in August 2023. The India leg of Red Bull Four 2 Score Championship includes a series of City Qualifiers across 16 cities from 18^th March to 16^th April, followed by Regional Rounds between 3^rd April to 17^th April and the National Final on 13^th May in Kochi.

This all new 4vs 4 tournament is tailored to fans of attacking football. Red Bull Four 2 Score embodies Red Bull’s very own power football philosophy: Over 10 minutes of game play, teams will need to give it all, as goals in the first and last minute count double. With no breaks, no goalkeeper, and barely a second to take a breath, be ready for action packed matches and to leave all you have on the pitch. Score when it matters and sign up now!

This year, the World Final will take place at RB Leipzig in Germany. The winners of more than 25 national competitions will move on to represent their country in the first ever Red Bull Four 2 Score World Final, which will be hosted jointly with RB Leipzig.

For Red Bull Four 2 Score – India Championship, teams will play in group and knockout stages during their city rounds. The winning team from city round will progress to their respective regional round. City winners will face off in the regional rounds (East – Kolkata on 3rd April; North – Delhi on 17th April; South – Kochi on 17th April; West – Mumbai on 17th April). The top-2 teams of each regional round will progress to the national finals. Two teams from each region (north, south, east and west) will compete in the national finals on 13th May. The winning team will be named the Red Bull Four 2 Score India Champions.

Red Bull Four 2 Score India – Schedule for city qualifiers, regional rounds and national final – https://www.redbull.com/in-en/events/red-bull-four-2-score-india/red-bull-four-2-score-india-2023-schedule 

Sign up now – https://participate.redbull.com/en/events/red-bull-four-2-score-IND/2023 Tournament Format & Game Rules – https://www.redbull.com/in-en/events/red-bull-four-2-score-india/four-2-score-rules

Also Read: India look to end on high against table toppers Russia

Also Read: Blue Tigers to go all out against Kyrgyz Republic in Hero Tri-Nation decider

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Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five world finals made a return after a 3-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic. The draw took place on 23 May 2021 and Joga Bonito were placed in Group B along with Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, JR’s Global Five, and South Korea. Meanwhile, Kalina Rangers were placed in Group D with USA, Turkey, England, and Georgia.

The 2021 Indian Champions had a terrible start to their campaign with a big 5-0 defeat against the USA. Kalina Rangers however bounced back in the very next game to register a thumping 5-0 win over Turkey. Scott Moraes bagged a hat-trick while Clinton D’Souza scored a brace for Kalina Rangers. In the third match, they faced the 2021 champions of England and were unfortunate as they lost by a single goal after a good fight. In the final group stage game, a hat-trick from Johnson Dsilva helped Kalina Rangers beat the 2021 Georgian Champions 3-1. Despite the two wins, it wasn’t enough for the Indian team to go through to the knockouts.

On 24 May 2022, Making their maiden appearance on the world stage, Bengaluru’s Joga Bonito suffered 3 humbling defeats against the 2022 National Champions of Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and South Korea. However, they signed off the competition on a positive note to pick up their first point of the competition after holding the 2020 JR’s Global Five team to a 0–0 scoreline in the final group game.

Two Brazilian teams became champions of Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five world finals in Qatar. In the women’s category, Fortal Balls best fellow Brazilians Resenha 013 to become the champions. In the mixed category final, Brazil’s Consagrados defeated MrM SportCoaching of the Netherlands to lift the title.

Image Credits: Kalina Rangers

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The post Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five World Finals: India beat Turkey and Georgia for a consolation win before bowing out of the competition appeared first on Football Counter.

Perhaps the indications were right there from the word go, when in their opening group game Joga Bonito (Bengaluru) defeated former India champions and their namesake – Joga Bonito (Indore).

The team of Karthik, Abhishek, John, Manoj, Nanda Kumar, Amose, and Anoop showcased some exceptional close-quarter passing skills and ball control to outclass their opponents. The Bengaluru side didn’t lose a single game throughout the competition.

Having played in I league Qualifiers and Santhosh Trophy, Joga Bonito players used their experience well to sweep the competition, where one loss would have seen them get knocked out. After a topping the group C table, where they beat former National champions from Indore and Jalandhar’s The Wolves outfit, Joga knocked off their Quarterfinal opponents Mumbai’s Ink India with a blazing 4-0 win. This was followed by another clinical 3-0 performance in the last four against the Black and Whites of Cochin.

In the final, after a couple of back and forths, Joga Bonita (Bengaluru) scored two quick goals. Despite Delhi’s Goal Hunterz FC trying hard to make a comeback, Joga showed exceptional calmness to withstand the challenge and go home with the title.

 

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Karthik who has represented ARA FC in I league Qualifiers, shared his happiness after his team won the title, “It was a great feeling to win an all India competition against teams from throughout the country. RedBull Neymar Jr’s Five offers one of the biggest opportunities to play Five-a-side games. It’s a proud moment that we have won this competition and will represent India in Qatar.”

Joga Bonito (Bengaluru) along with Kalina Rangers (2021 champions) will now represent India in the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five–World finals which will be held in Qatar around the month of July. The teams will also have an opportunity to meet Brazilian superstar Neymar during the competition. Joga Bonito players are not shying away from their excitement to meet the legend, “Yes, the squad is quite excited about the Qatar trip to meet Neymar.” concluded Karthik.

Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five – Fixtures and Group Table 

Also Read

The post Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five – Joga Bonito (Bengaluru) book Qatar Tickets to represent India in World Finals appeared first on Football Counter.

Stay Tuned for Live Updates…

5:45 PM

And the final kicks off between Joga Bonito (Bengaluru) vs Goal Hunters (Delhi)

After couple of back and forth, Joga Bonita (Bengaluru) score two quick goals and are leading the game, some interesting celebrations out there.

Goal Hunters trying to hard to make a comeback but are at this point just getting outnumbered. A desperate shot in final seconds was well blocked in front of the circle as referee blows the final whistle and Joga Bonito (Bengaluru) win the final 2-0.

Joga Bonito (Bengaluru) along with Kalina Rangers (2021 champions) will represent India in the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five – World finals to be held in Qatar

5:30 PM

2nd Semi final, Bangalore’s Joga Bonito face off against Black and Whites of Cochin. Within 3 minutes of the game, Joga Bonito make it 3-0 and now are just playing around with field.

And Joga Bonito book their place in the final with a clinical 5-0 win over Black and Whites of Cochin

5:20 PM

1st semi final Rampagers vs Goal Hunters play out a goal less draw in Normal time and now we enter 1 vs 1 playoff.

Its end to end with both players going for shot at every chance but neither finding the net. Lot of Oohs! and aahs! from the crowd watching the near misses. finally after minutes of 1vs1 action, Goal Hunters and broken the deadlock and sneak their way into the finals!!!

4:50 PM

Black and White Cochin turned up the heat big time as they hammer past Chennai’s Super 5 with a 5-0 win

4:00 PM

Joga Bonito (Bengaluru) vs Ink India (Mumbai)

After a delayed start, Bengaluru’s Joga Bonito came all guns blazing with a 4-0 win to knock Mumbai’s Ink India off the competition.

3:30 PM 

Intense end to end football but no goals so far between Immortals (Ahmedabad) and Goal Hunters FC (Delhi). 

Good sustained pressure from Goal Hunters but Immortals giving it all in defence.

Goalless at Full time. Time for 1 vs 1 match off. One player from each team to play in the game, whoever scores first wins and takes his club to top 4.

Interesting turn of events, Goal Hunters score the goal but there is a confusion regarding a foul moments before it. Referees and players in conference right now. Will the Goal Stay??

And the Referees decision has been made and the Goal is given. Delhi’s Goal Hunters qualify for the top 4 and Immortals journey comes to end here.

 

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3: 20 PM

And Lucky losers making full use of their Luck as Hyderabad’s Rampagers FC beat Pune’s Football Freakers 2-0 to qualify for the Semi-finals

Next up Goal Hunters of Delhi face off against Immortals in the 2nd Quarter finals

3:00 PM

Rampagers FC of Hyderabad have qualified as the eight Quarterfinalists. They take on Football Freakers of Pune in first Quarterfinals

Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five – Quarterfinals Fixtures out Fixtures and Group Table 

2:40 PM

So far Goal Hunters (Delhi), Super 5 (Chennai), Joga Bonito (Bengaluru), Football Freakers (Pune), Black and White Cochin (Kochi), Immortals FC (Ahmedabad) and Ink India (Mumbai) and we await for the final Quarter-finalists

One team from the five second best teams of their respective group will qualify for the 8th Quarterfinal spot via the process of Lucky Loser draw. The Five teams are Boom Boom FC of Goa, Mid Winter FC of Lucknow, Joga Bonito of Indore, Rampagers from Hyderabad and Youth Forum of Kolkata

2:30 PM

Seven Teams have confirmed their places for the quarter-finals of the tournament via topping their respective league table. Delhi’s Goal Hunters beat Joga Bonito (Bhubneswar) to qualify from Group A. Chennai’s Super 5 and Joga Bonito (Bengaluru) qualified from Group B and C respectively. Pune’s Football Freakers  and Mumbai’s Ink India qualified from their respective group after winning the last league Game. In Group E which had an extra team, Black and White Cochin and Immortals FC from Ahmedabad made it to the last eight

Eight Quarter-finalists will be announced soon.

Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five – Fixtures and Group Table – Updated Live

 

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11:30 AM

Kochi based Black and White Cochin defeated Dimapur’s Tribal United 5-0 while Ahmedabad’s Immortal FC beat Chandigarh’s 9 Parah. This was followed by Kolkata’s Youth Forum beating Penaldo FC 4-0. Meanwhile after their first game win, Boom Boom FC suffered a loss against Delhi’s Goal Hunters FC. to make the group A table interesting. They would be relying on the last group game between Goal Hunters and Joga Bonito (Bhubneswar)

In another game, Chennai’s Super 5 finished at the top of the table after beating Lucknow’s Mid Winter 2-0. While Bengaluru’s Joga Bonito beat The Wolves 5-0 to top their league Table

 

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10:00 AM

What an Exciting start to the day, some really enthralling football all around.  Goa’s Boom Boom FC started with Boom as they win the opening game of the tournament 5-0 to beat Joga Bonita (Bhubaneswar). This was followed Chennai’s Super 5 beating Shillong’s Bomlain 4-1.

In a surprising result, Joga Bonito representing Indore and former India Final winner suffered a opening game loss to  their name sake Joga Bonito from Bengaluru. This was followed by Hyderabad’s Rampagers  rampaging their way to 5-0 victory over Guwahati’s Champun FC

Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five returns for its sixth year in India! The 2022 edition of the championship featured qualifiers in 19 cities across India. The qualifiers took place through the months of March and April. The winners of these qualifier will now face-off in the national finals today at the Dr Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi.

The post Red Bull Neymar Jr’s 5: India Qualifiers Live: Joga Bonito (Bengaluru) win India finale appeared first on Football Counter.

A Red Bull Athlete Neymar Jr’s signature event, it bringing players from all corners of the world together to celebrate their shared passion: football. Fast, technical and fun competition, players from more than 25 countries around the world participates in the competition where Matches are played with a unique twist: whenever a team scores, the opposition loses a player! #OutplayThemAll

2022 is the 6th edition of Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five. In India, qualifiers were held in March-April across 19 cities in which over 2000 teams and 15,000 players participated (largest participation globally in Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five). The winners from these city qualifiers will now face-off in the National Finals. You can check out the profiles of the participating teams here: redbull.in/neymarjrsfive.

The winner of the National Finals will get a chance to represent India in the World Finals which will be held in Qatar in May. They will also get an opportunity to meet Neymar Jr!

Living up to their tagline of Gives you Wings, Red Bull has given Amateur teams from all over the globe opportunity to participate and represent their country during the World Final and win a unique experience: to play against Neymar Jr in the “Super Final”. Over the years Indian Club has shown some brilliant performance in the World Finals. Kalina Rangers, Joga Bonito both have represented India in the Finals. Kalina Rangers have also beaten Hungary in the competition to reach knock stage of the competition.

The National Finals will be held at Dr. Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi on 29th April (Friday), 9 AM onwards.

Click here for all the Live Commentary and Scores updates updates

Click here for Fixtures, Results and League table  – Will be Updated soon

The post Red Bull Neymar Jr Five – India 2022, 19 Clubs – One to outplay them all appeared first on Football Counter.

~ National Finals of the largest 5 a side football tournament in India took place at Ella Ground, Carambolim in Goa on 24^th September 2021~

~ Kalina Rangers earned the opportunity to represent the country at the World Finals in Qatar and meet Neymar Jr

25^th September 2021, India: Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five returned for its fifth year in India with more than 2700 teams participating in qualifiers across the country. The 2021 edition of the championship had qualifiers in 18 cities across India which took place through the months of August and September, with the winning team of each city qualifier competing at the National Final at Ella Ground, Carambolim in Goa on Friday 24^th September. The 4 teams which grabbed their spot in the semi-finals were Kalina Rangers from Goa, Sunny Boys from Pune, Black & White FC from Kochi and Zack FC from Delhi. In the semis, Kalina Rangers beat Black & White FC and Sunny Boys beat Zack FC Delhi (both 1-0). Goa city qualifier winning team, Kalina Rangers beat Pune city qualifier winning team Sunny Boys 2-0 in the final match to be declared the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five India champions and earned the opportunity to compete in the world finals in Qatar, where they will get to meet superstar footballer Neymar Jr.

Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five is the Brazilian star’s signature five-a-side tournament bringing players aged 16 to 35 from all corners of the world together to celebrate their shared passion: football. It is a fast, technical and fun competition which sees two teams of five players, sans a goalkeeper, have 10 minutes to strut their stuff and win a chance to impress Neymar Jr. The twist in this thrilling affair is that for each goal scored by a team, a member of the opposition will have to leave the field. The team with the maximum players takes the spoils.

Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five 2019 India Champions, Kalina Rangers from Mumbai represented India at the World Finals in Brazil and gained valuable experience with a historic win against Hungary, who were eventually crowned winners of the tournament. Some members from this team are part of the 2021 national champion squad which will travel to Qatar to compete at the world finals of the 2021 edition.

Kalina Rangers (Winning Team) Members – Danish Khan, Melvin Barboza, Craig Dsouza, Johnson Dsilva, Scott Moraes, Dion Menezes and Clinton Dsouza

Match Report – Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five 2021 National Finals:

Semi Final 1:

Kalina Rangers (Goa) 1-0 Black & White FC (Kochi)

Semi Final 2:

Sunny Boys (Pune) 1-0 Zak FC (Delhi)

Final Match Result:

Kalina Rangers (Goa) 2-0 Sunny Boys (Pune)

Kalina Rangers representing Goa were declared the winners of Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five 2021 edition and will now represent India at the World Finals in Qatar later this year

Clinton Dsouza from Kalina Rangers, winning team member expressed his joy over winning the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five 2021 National Finals, he said, “We are delighted to win the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five 2021 National Finals. Even during challenging times, we have been practicing a lot before this tournament started as we know we have to play against some of the best 5-a-side teams in the finals. We would like to thank the energy drink giant Red Bull for tournaments like these that give wings to young and upcoming footballers in India. We are proud to represent India at the World Finals in Qatar and we hope to make our nation proud.”

Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five India Qualifier Schedule & Winning Teams:

Indore: 21st and 22nd August at Jogabonito by Futsal One won by Chirag United

Ahmedabad: 21st and 22nd August at JUGGERNAUT ARENA won by Aries FC

Jaipur: 21st and 22nd August at Sports Villa, Nirman Nagar won by Rajasthan Police

Bengaluru: 21st and 22nd August at Turf Park Koramangla won by Gunners FC

Lucknow: 27th August at Polo Ground, Le Martiniere College won Techtro A FC

Pune: 28th and 29th August at Hot Fut Koregaon Park won by Sunny Boys

Kolkata: 28th and 29th August at FD Block Park, Salt Lake won by Soccer 5

Chennai: 28th and 29th August at Tiki Taka, T Nagar won by Super 5s

Siliguri: 4th September at Level Up Turf, Jyoti Nagar won by Siliguri United FC

Mumbai: 4th and 5th September at Neville D’souza Turf (Bandra Reclamation) won by Mean Machine

Delhi: 4th and 5th September at Kicksal (Chattarpur) won by Zack FC

Hyderabad: 4th and 5th September at ASTRO PARK won by Team Hexa

Jalandhar: 4^th and 5^th September at Khalsa College, Mohyal Nagar won by Doaba Football Academy

Dimapur: 11th September at City Futsal, Orchid Grounds won by Spartan FC

Bhubaneswar: 11th and 12th September at KIIT UNIVERSITY won by Speed Force

Kochi: 11th and 12th September at ESPIRITO won by Black & White FC

Chandigarh: 11th and 12th September at Legacy Matters and Hi Score won by Stadium FC

Goa: 11th and 12th September at Play Goa, Caculo Mall won by Kalina Rangers

Also, it is a proud moment for India as Kerala Teenager, Shahzad Rafi and Bengaluru youngster, Abhinash Shanmugham are among the seven talented ballers from across the world who have been selected to form a special team at the 2021 Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five World Final in Qatar later this year. They were shortlisted from over a million entries and made the cut from final 33,000 videos from all over the world, clips of their tastiest tricks and skills over the last few months as they attempted to wow the judging panel. Entries came in from all corners of the globe as these gifted amateur players posted 60-second clips to their Instagram channel using the hashtag #outplaythemall. After hours spent viewing the footage, Neymar Jr and his fellow judges finally settled on their seven-strong squad.

For more information and video highlights of the national finals visit: https://www.redbull.com/in-en/events/red-bull-neymar-jrs-five-india-2021

CREDITS- RED BULL NEYMAR JR. MEDIA

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20th August 2021, India: Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five returns for its fifth year in India with qualifiers across the country. The 2021 edition of the championship will have qualifiers in 18 cities across India. The qualifiers will take place through the months of August and September, with a national final slated to take place in the last week of September.

Winners of the city qualifiers will compete in the national final, where the ultimate winner will be declared the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five India champions and get a chance to compete in the world finals in Qatar, where they will get to meet superstar footballer Neymar Jr.

Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five is the Brazilian star’s signature five-a-side tournament bringing players aged 16 to 35 from all corners of the world together to celebrate their shared passion: football. It is a fast, technical and fun competition which sees two teams of five players, sans a goalkeeper, have 10 minutes to strut their stuff and win a chance to impress Neymar Jr. The twist in this thrilling affair is that for each goal scored by a team, a member of the opposition will have to leave the field. The team with the maximum players takes the spoils.

Regarding the evolution of this global football tournament, Neymar Jr. commented, “It’s amazing. I remember as if it were today, when they showed me the proposal for the tournament, rules, boxed goals that brought me back to when I was a kid. The objective was transforming Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five into a reference for football players whenever they think of 5-a-side games, and I think we’re on the right track. There have been more than 400,000 people over the last four years, dozens of countries in the qualifiers. It’s very cool to see more female teams and more women involved in the tournament, always at the highest level. And this is just the beginning of our journey.”

Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five 2019 India Champions, Kalina Rangers from Mumbai represented India at the World Finals in Brazil and gained valuable experience with a historic win against Hungary, who were eventually crowned winners of the tournament.

Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five India Qualifier schedule:

Indore: 21st and 22nd August at Jogabonito by Futsal One

Ahmedabad: 21st and 22nd August at JUGGERNAUT ARENA

Jaipur: 21st and 22nd August at Sports Villa, Nirman Nagar

Bengaluru: 21st and 22nd August at Turf Park Koramangla

Lucknow: 27th August at Polo Ground, Le Martiniere College

Pune: 28th and 29th August at Hot Fut Koregaon Park

Kolkata: 28th and 29th August at FD Block Park, Salt Lake

Chennai: 28th and 29th August at Tiki Taka, T Nagar

Siliguri: 4th September at Level Up Turf, Jyoti Nagar

Mumbai: 4th and 5th September at Neville D’souza Turf (Bandra Reclamation)

Delhi: 4th and 5th September at Kicksal (Chattarpur)

Hyderabad: 4th and 5th September at ASTRO PARK

Jalandhar: 4th and 5th September at Khalsa College, Mohyal Nagar

Dimapur: 11th September at City Futsal, Orchid Grounds

Bhubaneswar: 11th and 12th September at KIIT UNIVERSITY

Kochi: 11th and 12th September at ESPIRITO

Chandigarh: 11th and 12th September at Legacy Matters and Hi Score

Goa: 11th and 12th September at Play Goa, Caculo Mall

Under the Jr’s Global Five consumer activation, one can show off their skills in a creative way, record them (best play – max 60 seconds), post them to Instagram (use hashtag #outplaythemall, tag @redbullneymarjr’sfive and add your country flag) and wow Neymar Jr and his scouts. They will select 6 players and 1 wild card entry to take part as the Jr’s Global Five at this year’s World Final.

To register visit https://www.redbull.com/in-en/events/red-bull-neymar-jrs-five-india-2021

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Joga Bonito and Kalina Rangers have become a synonym among Mumbai football when it comes to 5-aside tournament. In the last three years, the two sides have represented India in various International Five a side tournaments. Amidst these heavyweights, this year another City club – Uncle’s Kitchen United (UK United), have defied all odds to win the Mumbai Qualifiers of Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five and are now just one tournament away from representing the country in Brazil for World finals.

In an exclusive interview with Footballcounter, UK United players Shravan Shetty and Riddic Carlo talk about the man behind their success,  Five-a side football in India and finally the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five tournament

Excerpts:

1.Around 100 teams participated in the Mumbai qualifiers, With 2 former National champions in Kalina Rangers and joga Bonito, how does it feel to win the qualifiers? And how excited are you guys for the National finals?

Shravan Shetty – We had a great journey so far and we wish to continue this journey in the national finals and we want to make our team owner, the ever supporting Ronnie D’Souza proud by winning the national finals. We are really happy that we are the city champions and we will be representing Mumbai. Previous champions of national finals have been from Mumbai (Kalina Rangers and Joga bonito) and we will give our best to continue the trend and be the next team from Mumbai to represent India.

Riddic Carlo – We have come a long way with all the hardships and failures. All thanks to Ronnie D’Souza to be an amazing mentor who has guided our team always and stood by us in all failures as well as victories. It’s an amazing feeling and a proud moment to be a part of the finals. And we are super excited to be in the finals for the first time. We shall leave no stone unturned to win the National finals as we are representing Mumbai.

2. What was the atmosphere within the team during the final? You faced a pretty young side in FC Cecilians, were you guys nervous?

Shravan Shetty – We were excited for the finals against FC Cecilians, we knew they are a remarkably young squad. They had reached finals by beating former champions Joga Bonito. We were a bit nervous but our team Owner Ronnie D’souza had our backs and kept us motivated. He only said one thing “To give it our best, it doesn’t matter what’s the result”.

Shravan Shetty – We had a great journey so far and we wish to continue this journey in the national finals

3. How long have you been playing this game and what inspires you?

Shravan Shetty – I have been playing this game since a decade now. I have been working hard in all formats of football and have received a lot of trophies and recognition through football in Mumbai. My love for the game and the recognition that has comes along with it is something that inspires me.

Riddic Carlo – I was good, not the best but good enough to start and play almost every day. I was passionate about football since childhood and it’s been over a decade since I started playing football and what inspire me to play the game are the difficulties I have overcome and the achievements and recognition I have received over a period of years

4. What do you think of the 5-a-side football (Rink football) in India?

Shravan Shetty – Five a side culture is growing rapidly, previously all recognition was from 11 a side football however since last decade 5 a side football has picked up pace.

Riddic Carlo – There is a real boost in popularity of 5 a side football. Tournaments like Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five has giving us opportunities to play 5 a side football on a global level.

5. How different is it from 11 a side football?

Shravan Shetty – 5 a side requires high intensity and great physical fitness. Compared to Normal football, here the time duration is reduced which makes this game very quick.

6. Any messages for your fans in Mumbai?

Riddic Carlo – We Uncles Kitchen United as a team would like to thank all our fans for the astounding support and love received by all of you. We shall make sure everyone is proud of our team by putting in our all efforts and winning the tournament and representing India in Brazil.

Riddic Carlo – This league offers us an opportunity to compete with the best and a road to reach the world stage.

7. What is your opinion of RedBull Neymar Jr. 5 as a league?

Shravan Shetty – Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five league is a growing community who are providing opportunity to the youth of Mumbai. It is giving us a platform to showcase our talent and witness various talents coming from different parts of the City.

Riddic Carlo – This league offers us an opportunity to compete with the best of the country and a road to reach the world stage.

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Red Bull Neymar Jr.’s five, a globally established five-on-five football tournament played out its Mumbai qualifiers at Sporting lions Foundation Sports Turf, Bandra on 14^th & 15^th March 2020.

The city qualifier witnessed a total of 97 teams participating in the 2 day event wherein the winner would then go on to play national qualifiers. Winner of National qualifiers will then get to represent the country in World finals in Brazil.

One of the toughest city qualifiers – Mumbai, had two former national champions in Kalina Rangers and Joga Bonito. Joga Bonito represented India in 2017, 2018 World finals while Kalina Rangers had represented the country in last year’s world finals.

Day 1 saw, all the teams playing in a knock out format after which 8 teams were left to play quarterfinals on Day 2. Highlight of the day 1 was the high-octane intense encounter between two former National champions Kalina Rangers and Joga Bonito facing off each other early in the tournament in Round 2. The two sides have met each other in the finals of the various tournament numerous times.

Although formerly both sides had pretty good relations, a rift before the game spiced up the match making it a must watch for all. Joga Bonito eventually ended up on the winning note.

On Day two, Joga Bonito, LOF, Cecilions Superstars, Cecilions A, UK United, SRFC, Cecilions B and Navanagar were the 8 teams in the quarterfinals. Joga Bonito, Cecilians B and UK united produced dominating performances on their way to last four while Cecilions A edged Superstars by 1-0 score to reach last four.

It was in the first semi-final that Former National Champions Joga Bonito’s run finally came to an end. After a goal less game, FC Ceclilans A struck in the Tie-breaker round courtesy of Karan Prajapati’s heroics to reach the finals. Meanwhile in other semi-final round, UK United produced a sensational performance to come from a goal down and register a 2-1 win with a last minute strike to end FC Cecilians ‘B’ Campaign.

In the final of the tournament another humdinger of game ensued which eventually ended in 0-0 at full time whistle. In the Tie-breaker, Uncle Kitchen United managed to edge FC Cecilians A to book their place for the National finals.

Last year, the signature football tournament saw more than 1,00,000 players taking part in 40 countries across 6 continents with the hope of making it all the way from the qualifiers to the World Final in July at the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr in Praia Grande, Brazil.

Results:

Semifinal 1 – FC Cecilians A 0 – 0 Joga Bonito (FC Cecilians A win in Tie breaker)

Semifinal 2 –UK United 2 – 1 FC Cecilians B

Final – UK United 0 – 0 FC Cecilians A (UK United win in Tie breaker)

Also Read: With Habas, success not too far behind for ATK

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The post UK United qualify for National finals of Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five 2020 – India Leg appeared first on Football Counter.

Global football superstar Neymar Jr took to the field for the first time since his injury at the Copa America as the two strongest five-a-side football teams in the world were crowned at the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five World Final in Praia Grande, Brazil. After gruelling games at the World Finals (12-13 July), Hungary (Mixed) and Slovakia (Women’s) came out on top at the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr in the neighbourhood where the Brazilian grew up. Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five is the largest five-a-side football tournament in the world, organised by energy drink giant Red Bull.

Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five 2019 India Champions, Kalina Rangers from Mumbai represented India at the World Finals in Brazil, and gained valuable experience with a historic win against Hungary, who were eventually crowned winners of the tournament. Unfortunately, their tournament ended at the group stage following a draw against Luxembourg and heart breaking defeats against Spain and Angola. Team India (Anthony Machado, Tyson Periera, Henderson Dias, Rayyan Shaikh, Craig D’Souza, Melvin Barboza and Charnel D’Almeida) the winners of the National finals of Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five in Kolkata fought hard at the World Finals and will take invaluable experience of being part of the largest 5-a-side football competition in the world.

Replay of all the matches and results – https://www.redbullneymarjrsfive.com/en

Team Kalina Rangers from India at the World Finals in Brazil.

Team Kalina Rangers Mumbai, India Player Anthony Machado said, “It is a special feeling to be in Brazil and represent India. We are also proud that we emerged winners among 3216 teams that participated at the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five 2019 National Champions. It enabled us to live out the dream of one day playing the beautiful game in Brazil. We played against some world- class football teams here at the World Finals. It’s a 10 minutes game, the ball doesn’t go out and you need to play continuously, so a lot energy you need to put in along with a strong game plan. We would want to thank Red Bull for continuously giving us wings and showing their support to 5-a-side football with tournaments like these. We are disappointed that we could not go past the group stages, however we are proud that we could win our last game against the eventual champions Hungary. It was a great learning experience and it will help only to  improve our game going forward. Our dream of meeting Neymar Jr. also came true.”

Over 100,000 players signed up for a qualifier in this year’s competition as elite five-a-side players battled it out in 40 countries across six continents. Hungary won 7 out of their eight matches, including a 2-0 win over Spain in the final, to land the title in the mixed competition. Their only defeat came against Team Kalina Rangers from India. The honour of being the second female world champions went to the Slovakia, who were consistent throughout the tournament and narrowly overcame Japan 2-1 in the final.

Both world champion teams will get an exclusive behind the scenes trip to visit Neymar Jr at Paris Saint-Germain. ZSÍRKRÉTÁK from Hungary and Spartak Myjava ženy from Slovakia join Deportivo Mago from Mexico and Resenha 013 from Brazil (2018), Tao United from Romania (2017) and Anjos Da Bola from Brazil (2016) as winners of the prestigious tournament, organised by Red Bull.

Neymar Jr displaying his skills at the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five World Finals

Neymar Jr. watched the semi-finals and finals from the stands with friends and family, before stepping onto the field with his own special team to face the world champions in two memorable matches. It was Neymar Jr’s first taste of action following an ankle injury which had kept him out for six weeks, but the 27-year-old showed no signs of rust as he tricked and flicked his way around the newly crowned World Champions, leaving them in awe.

Speaking after the competition, Neymar Jr was impressed with what he’d seen: “The level was really high, really intense today,” said the Brazil forward. “This competition reminds me of my childhood when I used to play 5×5, 3×3, 2×2 in the streets here. I’m really proud to be able to host people from so many countries in the neighbourhood where I grew up.”

Few highlights of the tournament with Neymar Jr’s:

Friendly match 1 – Neymar Jr´s Team vs. World champions (Hungary): https://www.redbullcontentpool.com/international/AP-1ZGKHP8WN2111

Friendly match 2 – Neymar Jr´s Team vs. Women world champions (Slovakia): https://www.redbullcontentpool.com/international/AP-1ZXKB3WHS2111

Neymar Jr’s Five action Clip which includes Neymar scoring goals in the friendly matches against the 2 World Champions:  https://www.redbullcontentpool.com/international/AP-1ZXKUN4HN2111

For Trial related updates click->Latest trials updates in Mumbai Football

Also Read: FC Mumbaikars set to host trials for U-13 & U-15 I League teams

Also Read: Hero Intercontinental Cup: India end campaign with a draw against Syria

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The post Zsírkréták from Hungary lift the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five World title in Brazil appeared first on Football Counter.