Guwahati (Assam) [India], February 18 : The final lineup for the Dream Sports Championship U-17 tournament National Finals is taking shape as both SESA Football Academy and Football 4 Change Academy secured their spots through impressive victories in their respective regional finals.
In Guwahati, Football 4 Change Academy demonstrated their prowess with a commanding 4-0 victory over BBFS Shillong in the regional final. The match saw Kishor Tiwari open the scoring in the 8th minute, followed by Mangminlun Touthang's brace (28' and second half) and another goal from Tiwari through a penalty kick in the 40th minute.
The event was attended by Nandita Garlosa, Minister of Sports and Youth Welfare of Assam, who emphasized the importance of sports development, "Sports is something that we should always encourage to play. The teams from Manipur and Meghalaya reached the regional final in Guwahati, and congratulations to Football 4 Change for making it to the National Finals. A big thank you to the Dream Sports Foundation for their good work in trying to keep up the pace with the government as they try to help with development at the grassroots level. Due to this U-17 tournament, I hope to see participation from more players from the NorthEast," as quoted from a release by Dream Sports Championship.
Meanwhile, in Goa, SESA Football Academy secured their spot in the National Finals after a thrilling penalty shoot-out victory over Dempo SC. The match, played at the Fields of Dreams, ended in a 2-2 draw before SESA emerged victorious with a 4-2 win on penalties.
SESA took an early lead through Aniket Terane in the 14th minute and extended their advantage when Pramod Gawas scored in the 63rd minute. However, Dempo SC mounted a remarkable comeback with Jonathan Silva reducing the deficit in the 73rd minute, followed by Jodric Abranches' equalizer in stoppage time.
In the ensuing penalty shoot-out, SESA goalkeeper Sakib Lamture emerged as the hero, with his team successfully converting four penalties through Aniket, Pramod, Leo Soram, and Lamture himself. For Dempo, only Jodric and Pradip Kullu managed to score, while Favio Martins missed his attempt and Juvenio Simoes' spot-kick was saved.
Following their brilliant show, Football 4 Change Academy will now join SESA Football Academy (Goa), Dempo SC (Goa), Punjab FC (Delhi), Chennaiyin FC (Bengaluru), Reliance Foundation Young Champs (Mumbai), Mohun Bagan Super Giant (Kolkata), in the final line-up for the National Finals in Goa in April 2025.
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