Manipur’s T.G English School clinched the Junior Boys title of the 63rd Subroto Cup International Football Tournament, getting the better of Meghalaya’s Myngken Christian Higher Secondary School 4-3 via sudden death tie-breaker, after both teams tied 1-1 in regulation time.
Namdigong had put the winning side ahead in the 32nd minute of the first half, only for Banpliebok Khongjoh to equalize from the spot in the 64th minute of the game, just six minutes from the final whistle. Meghalaya keeper Wanpli Malang then dragged their first sudden-death spot-kick wide of goal, to give a Manipur side the coveted title after 43 years. The winning side to their credit, also played almost 20 minutes of the second-half with 10-men.
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari PVSM AVSM VM ADC, Chief of the Air Staff and Chairman, Subroto Mukerjee Sports Education Society (SMSES), presented the trophy to the winners along with 2022 Asian Games double silver medallist Harmilan Bains, who was the Guest of Honour for the finals.
Speaking during the prize distribution, Chief Guest Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari PVSM AVSM VM ADC said, “It has been a truly remarkable journey as we conclude the 63rd edition of the Subroto Cup. This tournament has once again proven to be an incredible platform for nurturing young football talent. We have witnessed the emergence of several promising athletes this year, and I have no doubt that some of them will go on to represent India at the highest levels. I would like to congratulate not only the winners of the Junior Boys category but also the champions from the Junior Girls and Sub-Junior Boys categories. Each player has shown immense dedication, and we are committed to making next year’s Subroto Cup even bigger and better. Together, we will continue to elevate the standards of grassroots football in India.”
The Meghalayan side dominated almost the entire game starting from the very first minute and certainly looked the more organised and creative side. However, they lacked finishing and the Manipur boys defended resolutely to eke out a result for themselves.
The Winners received Rs. 5,00,000 while the runner up received Rs. 3,00,000. The losing semi-finalists received Rs. 75,000 each while the losing quarterfinalist teams received Rs. 40,000 each.
A total of 75 matches were played in this category of the Subroto Cup which was played at four venues of the Delhi and NCR – Tejas Football Ground, Ambedkar Stadium, G.D Goenka World School and KIIT Global School.
Mother’s International School, Ranchi, Jharkhand emerged victorious in the Junior Girls (U 17) category beating Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan while Nongiri Presbyterian Secondary School, Ri-Bhoi, Meghalaya, won the Sub-Junior Boys (U 15) category beating Major Dhyanchand Sports College, Uttar Pradesh in the finals held in Bengaluru.
