Subroto Cup 2023: How St. Patrick's Jharkhand defended Junior Girls title

St. Patrick's from Jharkhand were successful in defending their Subroto Cup title.

The 62nd Subroto Cup International Football Tournament kicked off with grandeur at the historic Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Stadium, featuring the group stage matches of the Junior Girls (U-17) category. The tournament was declared open by Air Marshal R.K Anand VSM, Air Officer-in-Charge and Vice Chairman of Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society, with renowned television personality and actor Rannvijay Singha serving as the Guest of Honour.

Action begins

In the opening match of the tournament, Tripura Sports School from Tripura secured a 3-1 victory over Govt. Bethlehem Vengthlang Middle School-2, Mizoram. Shriya Deb had a notable performance with a brace, and Marina Jamatia added a third for the winners, while Lallawmzuali scored the lone goal for the Mizoram side. 

Supreme Goalfest!

Day 2 witnessed dominant performances from various teams. Ananda Purna School of Science, Manipur, crushed Navy Children School, New Delhi, with a staggering score of 26-0, setting the tone for the day. Defending champions, St. Patrick’s High School, Jharkhand, continued their dominance by defeating Air Force School, Bal Bharthi, 23-0.

Lohit Dikrong H.S.S, Assam, displayed their strength with a 19-0 win over tournament debutants DNRM GGHSS from Jammu & Kashmir. Furthermore, Home Mission School from Aizawl, representing the NCC, outclassed Coast Guard Public School, Nani Daman, with a commanding 17-0 victory. The day was filled with remarkable goal-scoring performances and lopsided victories.

Edging closer to the knockouts

Several teams secured their second successive wins in the group stage matches on Day 3. St. Patrick’s High School, Jharkhand, and Govt. V.H.S.S, Kannur, Kerala, won in Group A, setting up a decisive match to determine the group winners. Tripura Sports School continued their strong performance in Group E, while Mizoram's Govt. Bethlehem Vengthlang Middle School-2 claimed their first victory.

Saiden Secondary School, Nongpoh, Meghalaya, and Rosary Higher Secondary School, Goa, secured wins, and Bihar's Rajendra Kusht Sewashram Balika Uchh Vidyalay Sah Inter College bagged a commanding victory. In Group B, Bangladesh Krida Shiksha Prothishthan (BKSP) dominated, and Group C saw G.S.S.S Alakhpura, Haryana, and Government Senior Secondary School, Sikkim, triumph.

Group D featured victories for Lohit Dikrong H.S.S, Assam, and Govt. Secondary School, Arunachal Pradesh. The tournament showcased impressive performances and high-scoring matches across various groups.

Quarter-finals

The quarter-finalists were determined after four days of intense competition at various locations in the national capital. Among the teams that made it to the quarter-finals were defending champions St. Patrick’s High School from Gumla, Jharkhand, former champions Bangladesh Krida Shiksha Prothishthan (BKSP), and G.S.S.S Alakhpura from Bhiwani, Haryana.

Additionally, Saiden Secondary School from Ri-Bhoi, Nongpoh, Meghalaya, Ananda Purna School of Science from Thoubal, Manipur, Lohit Dikrong H.S.S from Lakhimpur, Assam, Tripura Sports School from Tripura, and Home Mission School from Aizawl (NCC) also qualified for the quarter-finals as winners of their respective groups.

Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, Ananda Purna School of Science from Thoubal, Manipur, faced off against former champions G.S.S.S Alakhpura from Bhiwani, Haryana. Meanwhile, defending champions St. Patrick’s High School from Gumla met Home Mission School from Aizawl, Mizoram.

St. Patrick’s beat Home Mission School, Aizawl, Mizoram in the second semi-final 2-0 to book their place in the finals. Binita Horo and Alpha Kandulna found the net for the defending champions. In the first semi-final, Rishika’s wonderful free-kick goal in extra-time was enough for G.S.S.S Alakhpura to edge past Ananda Purna School of Science, Thoubal, Manipur, to secure their place in the final.

Grand finale

In the final of the 62nd Subroto Cup (Junior U-17 Girls Category), St. Patrick’s Gumla, Jharkhand, clinched the trophy by defeating G.S.S.S Alakhpura Bhiwani, Haryana, with a scoreline of 3-0, courtesy of two goals from Anita and one from Shaulina.

Jharkhand quickly took control of the game in the opening three minutes by scoring two early goals, seizing the match from the Haryana team, who appeared bewildered and shocked. Jharkhand's offensive tactics were fluid and at times flawless, as they consistently pressed into the Haryana box from various angles.