The fifth game of the tournament took place between the third years and fifth years.
The game commenced and within a few seconds, the first goal of the match was scored by Siddharth Natraj, assisted by Thulunga Basumatary, both from the fifth year. The excitement and frenzy of the first minutes subsided, and the game slowed down a bit. Thulunga was in the thick of things, reaching everywhere the ball was and creating chances.. Around the 6th minute, he went in for a shot which was saved by Melwin James, the third years’ goalkeeper. The fifth years dominated possession of the ball for the first half of the match, despite a corner kick by Rimil Hembrom going in vain. The third years were pressing for a goal, and Karnalius Basumatary, ably assisted by Sree Hari A.P, scored a goal at the end of the 8th minute.The ever-present dogs at Sangam disturbed a few seconds of the game when they ran onto the field, but it soon resumed. An eventful first half thus came to an end, with scores tied at 1-1.
The second half was more exciting with each team trying to get that one goal to get a lead, Karnalius tried for a goal, but it was saved once again. But he could not be stopped for long; he scored a goal in the 20th minute, assisted once more by Sree Hari A.P. The fifth years began to play with more urgency, but the third years did not let up in their intensity. Siddharth tried to kick the ball towards the goalpost, but it was not to be. The whistle blew shrilly thrice and the game came to an end amidst deafening cheers (obviously the third years). The third years had won 2-1, booking themselves a spot in the semi-finals.
Report by Mahima Suresh
Article 19 