Bagan lift U-14 trophy
Members of the triumphant Mohun Bagan team pose with their trophies after their 2-0 win over Sambalpur Football Academy.
Mohun Bagan lifted the 1st ONGC Himachal Pradesh youth football festival trophy, defeating Sambalpur Football Academy 2-0 in the Under-14 final at the Nahan Chaugan grounds on Sunday.
The final — played under the floodlights before a capacity crowd — saw fierce competition with both the teams matching each other in skills and strength.
Satyajit Roy opened the account for the young Mariners in the 30th minute.
Unlike the first, the second half was more physical with Sambalpur pushing hard for an equaliser. In the process, the Odisha side had one of their player sent off to reduce them to 10-men.
Taking advantage of the gap on the left flanks, Deepankar ran across to defenders and sent in a neat cross for Mollah to slot in the second goal in the 67th minute.
Chief guest Rajiv Bindal, BJP state general secretary, encouraged the children of Himachal Pradesh to take interest in football saying that it helps “understand the importance of hard work and team spirit”.
“Himachal has taken giant strides in improving the game in a very short span of time. But the good work has to be continued as the mission has not been achieved yet. The road ahead is still very long.
“The government is doing everything possible to make Himachal a strong sporting state with the calibre to produce international athletes of all kinds.”
To encourage aspiring talents, he also emphasised on the three per cent quota for sportspersons in government jobs.
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