A Testimony to the ‘Beautiful Game’
Once every four years, football lovers, followers, maniacs, ‘bandwagon-hoppers’ and newbies gather religiously in their recently-washed Argentina/Brazil/Portugal jerseys to celebrate the ritual that is the FIFA World Cup. It is with the same dedication (or perhaps even more) that students of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences gather in numbers at the Sangam grounds every year (much to the envy of other departments, I must add with pride) to behold the annual festivity that is the Department Football Tournament. Yes, it is that time of the year again.
Friday, the 6th of October witnessed two scintillating semifinals, the first of which this writer had the pleasure of covering. The first semifinal was witness to a lively match between the first years and the third years. It was a day of firsts; the third years had made the semifinals for the first time ever, and the first years had made the semifinals in their first ever time.
Sangam grounds was treated to a buzz of excitement and energy from the very moment that the kick-off whistle announced itself. The first five minutes were filled with blink-and-you-miss-it action. Early in, an unfortunate brush of the ball with hand cost the third years a penalty. The first years were quick to exploit the circumstances with Sherwin Rodriguez scoring a swift goal that swept cleanly past Melwin James. However, this early lead was not to last long. The third years’ faces furrowed with worry at Sherwin’s early goal soon morphed into cries of ‘Karnaaa’ when Karnalius Basumatary retaliated within a minute, securing a goal for the third years. The score stood briefly at one all, before John Sabu Mathew wove his way through the third years’ defense to drive in his team’s second goal. The next few minutes passed in moments of harried defense from the first years and frantic efforts to level the score from the third years. Shortly before half-time, the third years were condemned to yet another penalty. Baladitya B from first year took his team’s penalty and made a clean job of it as he catapulted the score to 3-1.
Post half-time, the third years regained their mojo with Melwin making some sublime saves and adding to the team’s morale. However, the ever-reliable Melwin was put to test when Sherwin, yet again, fluently made his way forward and netted his second and his team’s fourth goal. The third years were not ones to give up. An easy chemistry between Aswin Prabhakar and Sree Hari AP began taking shape during the start of the second half but was nipped in the bud by the first years’ defense, courtesy, Suraj Unnikrishnan Menon. Sherwin and Suraj then treated the audience to some good passing before Suraj was sent as replacement for his team’s goalkeeper. Finally, it was also Suraj who lent the ultimate blow on behalf of the first years by powering in the sixth goal of the match, bringing the final score to 5-1.
This report would be incomplete if it did not acknowledge the efficient logistics team that sent a second football flying into the grounds whenever the first disappeared into the woods. Council members were seen hauling in water cans and dispensers for the players’ use. Further, Adithya Haneef, easily distinguishable in his fluorescent-orange hues, was quick and just as the match referee.
While the first years now march into the finals with their heads held high, the third years would look to recoup and bring their best game to the third-place match. Both teams, however, have ample reason to feel proud of their respectable display. Penalties were shrugged off with dignity and missed shots were mourned only briefly. Most telling of this spirit was the inter and intra batch bonhomie that was seen in the reassuring pats on the back and the affectionate ruffling of another’s hair. It would not be an overstatement to say that this match truly proved why football is considered the ‘beautiful game’.
Report by Ranjani Srinivasan
Photographs by Ajsal EA
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