Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Rosary Higher Secondary School, Navelim began the New Year on a bright note by qualifying for the senior boys’ semi-finals in the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports National Football Championship, at the Fr Agnel ground, Vashi-Mumbai, on Monday.
In their final group match, the Rosary lads trounced Panampilly Nagar Government Higher Secondary School, Kochi 4-1 to make the cut.
Striker Baggio Fernandes was the hero for the winners notching a brilliant hat-trick with his goals coming in the 10th, 50th and 60th minutes. Joybert Almeida provided the finishing touches by netting the fourth goal in the stoppage time.
The Kochi outfit had managed to hold Rosary 1-1 after Adarsh AS levelled the scores with a 20th minute strike. But after the break, the Goan boys waded into the opposition defence with Baggio leading the charge to record an impressive victory.
It was a quite a comeback by the Navelim lads, who had started off on a losing note when they went down 0-4 to Minerva Public School, Chandigarh. But they showed their resilience by notching back to back victories to stay in the hunt for the title.
Rosary finished second from Group A with six points and qualified for the last four stage along with leaders Minerva Public School, Chandigarh (nine points). The Kochi team finished at the bottom of the group while Sihphir Higher Secondary School,
Aizawl were third with three points.
Rosary Higher Secondary School will face Group B toppers Kapasdanga Satin Sen Vidyapith from Kolkata (seven points), in the semi-final on Wednesday.
St Anthony Higher Secondary School, Shillong (six points) were the other team to qualify from Group B
However, the second Goan team in the fray on Monday, Fr Agnel College of Commerce and Arts, Pilar failed to make the cut in the college boys category after crashing to a 1-5 defeat from St Anthony’s College, Shillong.
Until half-time, both the teams looked evenly matched as Chatur Naik pulled Fr Agnel level in the 41st minute after Chanmitre Thma had give St Anthony’s the lead with a 26th minute strike.
However, after the break, the Shillong boys stepped up a gear and proved their superiority by pumping in four goals within a span of 19 minutes. Nelson Daloi (63rd minute), Hauni Dkhar (71st minute) and Damehun Syih (76th and 82nd minutes) were the goal scorers for the winners. Midfielder Syih was adjudged player of the match.
Fr Agnel finished third in the group with three points while St Anthony’s (six points) and Netaji Nagar Day College, Kolkata (nine points) qualified from Group B.
St Joseph’s College of Commerce, who lost all their matches, finished at the bottom of the group.
The RFYS National Championship final will be played on January 6 (Saturday) at the Reliance Corporate Park, Ghansoli.
