Minerva lads lift Gothia Cup

Chandigarh, July 22

The Minerva Academy Football Club, Mohali, won the U-13 Gothia Cup (9-a-side) by defeating Brazilian challengers Ordin FC 3-1 at the SKF Arena in Gothenburg (Sweden). The Mohali-based club is the first from the region, and perhaps from the nation, to win the Gothia Cup, which is also termed as Youth World Cup by the football fraternity.

The Minerva lads were in high spirits from the starting whistle of the final, as they got the breakthrough in the very first minute.

Thiyam netted the first goal in the first minute of the match. Just four minutes later, Sanathoi doubled the lead. He intercepted a loose pass from an Ordin’s defender and posted it over the goal line with a perfect finish landed on the back of the net. Brazilian striker Mauricio brought some relief for the side as he managed to reduce the margin to 1-2 in the 15th minute. However, Thiyam was again in thick of action as he netted his second goal in the 23rd minute. A fine pass, right over the goal mouth, by the Minerva’s right-winger found Thiyam standing unmarked. The striker committed no mistake, and beat Ordin’s goalie with a hard-hit shot.

Earlier, the side had secured a spot in the finals by defeating the Swedish side, the Onnereds IK. The match had a highly competitive start, with both teams giving their best on the field. At one stage, the scoreboard displayed a tight 3-1 scoreline. Minerva conceded two goals in the entire tournament and scored 34 goals. In the quarterfinal of the tournament, the Minerva Academy FC logged a 3-0 win over the FC Bellevue-1 of Sweden.

Teams from as many as 11 nations made their way into the final-16, including, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Philippines, France, Brazil, USA, Norway, Mexico, Indonesia and India. Although it is not an officially recognised tournament, and is more of a football festival, the title provides a boost to the Minerva Academy’s remarkable focus on youth development. The Gothia Cup is the second biggest youth football tournament in the world, where almost 1,700 teams from around the globe participate.