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Mina Cup U-12 Football: Minerva enters semis with thumping 5-0 win over Barcelona Academy
Thiyam emerged as the star performer for Minerva, scoring a hat-trick of goals, as the side brushed off the Barcelona Academy challenge to progress at the Mina Cup
Minerva Academy on Saturday scored a statement win over Barcelona Academy in the quarter-finals of Mina Cup for U-12, being held in Dubai. Thiyam emerged as the star performer for the side, scoring a hatttrick of goals.
Denish opened the scoring with a goal in the 8th minute, putting Minerva Academy firmly in control of the contest. Barcelona managed to get their attack going, but Minerva managed to score on the counters. Sanathoi carried the ball from the halfway mark all the way to the goal, finding the back of the net to double the lead.
Minerva pressed forward in numbers, forcing their opponents on the backfoot. Some loose work in defence gave the side another shot at goal, with Thiyam scoring his first goal. Thiyam showcased great individual skills after a steal on the left flank as he then nutmegged a defender to rush into the box, before side-footing the ball into the far corner.
Thiyam completed his hat-trick in the 29th minute from a freekick. It was a long way out, but he decided to take it on and completely bamboozled the goalkeeper, who could merely watch the ball fly past him.
Minerva had earlier beaten Go-Pro Sports Academy, one of the top-ranked academies from Dubai, 6-0 in their first match. Denish and Thiyam scored two goals each for the Minerva Academy to set up the impressive win.
The Mina Cup is being competed across four age categories U-12, U-14, U-16 and U-18 in the UAE.
Global football giants including English heavyweights Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City, Spanish club Barcelona, Austrian Sturm Graz, Mexican Pumas and India’s Reliance Foundation are among the other participating teams.
