Shillong, Aug 28: Meghalaya won the final of the U-15 boys’ Subroto Cup football tournament with a 3-0 result against Uttar Pradesh in Bangalore today.
Prosperwell Ryntong scored a goal in each half of the 50-minute match, while Namebanlam Nongkseh added another late to seal the contest, which Meghalaya dominated from start to finish. This was the seventh time that a Meghalaya school has won a Subroto Cup title.
Meghalaya were represented in the U-15 boys’ category by Nongjri Presbyterian Secondary School of Ri-Bhoi, which won the state-level Subroto Cup last month.
The match couldn’t have started better for Meghalaya, with Prosperwell’s opening goal coming in less than a minute from kick-off. Steaming up the right flank, he looked to pass it to his left but the ball went past a team mate. A UP defender then tried to clear it but he skewed it back into the path of Prosperwell, who made no mistake with a shot on the run.
In the second half, a free-kick was fumbled by the Uttar Pradesh goalkeeper, giving Prosperwell a chance to score from close range.
Meghalaya were supreme in the first half, dominating possession and looking well organised while demonstrating excellent passing and thought process. UP upped their game a little at the start of the second half but that wilted after they conceded for a second time and Namebanlam put the game well and truly to rest with the third goal of the day following another delightful foray forward by the Meghalaya team.
Meghalaya received Rs 4 lakh as prize money as well as the coveted trophy. Thrisilbirth A Sangma, the team’s custodian, was also named Best Goalkeeper of the tournament and Pynkhrehlang Nongkseh was named Best Coach.
Although he wasn’t the official coach this time around, Jeffrey Warlarpih’s presence on the sidelines would have been decisive and, if you count it, this would be his fourth national title. It was under him that Meghalaya won the Khelo India Youth Games football title earlier this year, the Sub-Junior National Football Championship in 2019 and the U-17 boys’ Subroto Cup in 2013.
Meghalaya conceded just one goal in six games, in the semifinal against Bangladesh.
They won all their Group B matches, starting with a 6-0 victory against Sri Lanka, then making it 7-0 versus ISSO and 8-0 over Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu. Another team in the same group, Madhya Pradesh, were disqualified.
Meghalaya then beat Army Boys Company 2-0 in the quarterfinals before knocking out Bangladesh 2-1 on Monday.
(Photo contributed)