How Did Minerva Academy FC Secure Their Spot in the AIFF Futsal Club Championship Knockouts?

Rudrapur, Aug 10 (NationPress) Minerva Academy FC clinched a spot in the knockouts of the fourth edition of the AIFF Futsal Club Championship 2024–25 after a resounding victory over Real Lona FC, winning 7-1 in a Group A match at the Shri Manoj Sarkar Stadium – Shivalik Hall.

In another exciting match within the group, Aphuyemi Football Club secured their first win of the tournament, narrowly defeating Triumph FC 8-6. Akumyanger shone brightly, netting seven goals, making him the current top scorer of the championship with a total of 12 goals.

Meanwhile, in Group B, Bhawanipore maintained their impressive form, overcoming the home team, Corbett FC, with a score of 9-4. Golazo FC also celebrated their first victory of the season, triumphing over Thlangtiang Futsal Club 6-4.

Having been crowned champions two seasons ago, Minerva Academy FC became the second team from their group to advance to the quarter-finals. Earlier, Juggernaut FC secured their knockout position with a perfect record. After losing their initial match against Juggernaut FC, Minerva made a strong comeback, winning three consecutive games. This winning streak propelled them to nine points from four matches, ensuring their advancement to the last eight.

During Saturday's match, James Lalnunchhana and Lalit Vasantrao Patil each scored two goals against Real Lona, who faced their second defeat in the tournament.

On Friday, after Bijoy Gusai dazzled with a double hat-trick for Goal Hunterz, it was Akumyanger's turn to shine on Saturday. He opened the scoring in the second minute but found the net five more times in the second half, starting in the 21st minute and adding goals at 23rd, 29th, 32nd, and 39th minutes. This stellar performance allowed him to surpass Juggernaut's Shibu Sunny, who has 10 goals, to become the championship's top scorer so far.

For Triumph FC, Sayam also recorded a hat-trick, while Tenzin Loden contributed with two goals.

In Group B, debutants Bhawanipore FC dominated Corbett FC, winning 9-4 and leading the table with six points. They only need one point from their last game against Thlangtiang FC to secure a knockout position. In contrast, Corbett remains without points and sits at the bottom of the table. The Uttarakhand team needs a significant victory against Golazo and hopes Bhawanipore loses to keep their title defense alive.

After a tense first 17 minutes, Bhawanipore broke the deadlock with Jayesh Sutar scoring. Nikhil Mali netted four goals, while Sachin Patil, Laltluangzela, and Augustin D’Mello also contributed. For Corbett, Malsawmtluanga Pautu scored two, with Malsawmzela and Pratik Swami adding one each.

After a back-and-forth first half hour, last season's runners-up Golazo FC ultimately triumphed over Thlangtiang Futsal Club 6-4, marking their first win. Shoaib Baig scored a hat-trick in the second half, while Seaon D’Souza, Clinton D’Souza, and Marvin Stephen each added a goal.

Thlangtiang, who were leading 3-1 at one point, had three different scorers in R Lalmuankima, R Lalchhantluanga, and Lalremruata, alongside an own goal from Golazo's Arjun Satyajit Singh.

Thanks to their strong comeback, Golazo now knows that a victory against Corbett on Monday, which would also serve as revenge for last season's final defeat, will secure their spot in the knockouts. For debutants Thlangtiang, the challenge remains steep against Bhawanipore in their final match.