U15 Youth League – The Zonal Phase Ends

On Friday, the U15 Youth League zonal phase came to an end. The final12 matches were played over 4 days last week, and here’s a quick look at the scores:

Last Saturday morning, Lonestar Kashmir FC U15 played Minerva Academy FC U15. Lonestar’s Idrees Rahman Rathus was shown a yellow in the 33^rd minute, and three minutes later, Amarjeet Mishra scored for Minerva. Just before the half-time whistle, Thounaojam Jeakson Singh increased Minerva’s lead, netting the ball in the 43^rd minute. Within minutes of the teams coming back on the pitch for the second half, Minerva scored again, making it difficult for Lonestar to even the score. A brace by Amarjeet Mishra in the 52^nd minute ended the match 4-0.

That afternoon, Indian Youth Soccer Association (IYSA) U15 hosted Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) U15. Yash scored for BBFS in the 2^nd minute, and when the half-time whistle blew, they had retained their one-goal lead. Minutes into the second half, Siddhant Rao scored their second goal in the 49^th minute. Looking to close the gap, IYSA’s Ajay Damodaran netted the ball in the 54^th minute, reducing BBFS’s lead. In the 83^rd minute, Yuingam Luikhor levelled the game, scoring IYSA’s second goal. Despite an early lead, BBFS settled for a 2-2 draw against IYSA. The last match of the day was played between Sudeva FC U15 and Youngsters FC U15. A solitary goal by Vanlalzahawma in the 51^st minute ended the game 1-0 in Sudeva’s favour.

Minerva Academy FC U15s Playing Lonestar Kashmir FC U15
Source: Minerva Academy Football & Cricket Club Facebook Page

On 15^th February, another three games were played. The first was between Sudeva FC U15 and Lonestar Kashmir FC U15. Kevin Roberts scored in the 6^th minute giving Sudeva a one-goal advantage. They held on to their lead right until the 74^th minute, when a goal by Lonestar’s Hayat Bashir ended the game 1-1. Youngsters FC U15 and Conscient Football U15 played the second match of the day. Conscient Football’s K Mani Vannan and Rohit Gusain managed a brace each, while a goal by Murali Srinivas in the 82^nd minute ended the game 5-0 in Conscient’s favour. In the final match of the day, Minerva Academy FC U15 steamrolled over IYSA U15, winning 6-0. Manvir Singh managed a brace, while Thounaojam Jeakson Singh, Govind Bahadur, Amarjeet Mishra and Muhammad Azaruddin Shah scored a goal each.

The next three matches were played on Wednesday, February 17^th. IYSA U15 grabbed the lead early in the first match when Nischay Adhikari scored in the 7^th minute. Varun Kamat scored again for IYSA in the 73^rd minute, and although Youngters FC’s Param Preet Singh scored a goal in the 86^th minute, the game ended 2-1 in favour of IYSA. In the second match, BBFS’s Daksh Gupta scored a brace for his team with goals in the 11^th and 19^th minute. Sudeva FC U15 fought back and Bhupender Singh scored a goal for them in the 47^th minute, but they still lost 2-1. The third match of the day was an absolute whitewash as Conscient Football U15 beat Lonestar Kashmir FC U15 7-1. K Mani Vannan and Pradeep Singh managed a brace each, while Hayat Bashir scored the solitary goal for Lonestar in the 75^th minute.

BBFS’s Daksh Gupta in Action
Source: Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools Facebook Page

On Friday, Zone A’s last three matches were played. Conscient Football U15 took on IYSA U15 in the morning. Rohit Gusain scored the only goal of the match, and Conscient won 1-0. That afternoon, BBFS U15 hammered Lonestar Kashmir FC U15 6-0. Daksh Gupta and Akhil Rawat score a goal each, while Rohit Danu and Aishwary Pundeer both managed a brace. The last match of the zonal phase was played between Minerva Academy FC U15 and Sudeva FC U15. Minerva decimated Sudeva, winning 10-0. Manvir Singh scored 5 of those goals, and Shubham Sarangi scored another 4. The 10^th goal was by Harshdeep Singh, who netted the ball in the 87^th minute.

With the zonal phase of the U15 Youth League complete, here is the final Group A table: