The Bishop’s School, Kalyaninagar have been crowned Zilla Parishad U-19 Girls’ football champions, after they defeated their sister-team Bishop’s School, Camp, 3-0 in the final at the Dobarwadi ground, on Tuesday.
Bishop’s Kalyani nagar were favourites to win the tournament after they decimated BMCC Girls 4-0 in the semifinal. However, Bishop’s Camp also posed a threat, eliminating Ness Wadia College 2-0 in the other semifinal, on Monday.
Kalyaninagar started on the front foot applying early pressure to unsettle the Camp defence. Initially, the Camp defence was able to deal with all the attacks that were thrown at them, but a few errors allowed Kalyaninagar to have a go at goal. However, Kalyaninagar failed to capitalise on the defensive frailties and were let down by poor finishing as the first three shots of the game failed to test the goalkeeper.
With a high back-line, Kalyaninagar were able to push Camp into their own box, but the attack failed to manifest into something valuable as Kalyaninagar had to settle for a corner. The resulting set-piece was defended well, and Camp were able to break on the counter from the right flank. Delna Anklesaria paced down the flank and was able to sprint past a defender, but did end up losing possession after the Kalyaninagar defence tracked back and recovered well.
Bishop’s Kalyaninagar striker Anushka Salunkhe was the next player to try her luck from a long way out. The young striker wrapped her foot around the ball, but the strike was aimed directly at keeper Ariya Taware, who had no trouble handling the effort. Kalyaninagar came tantalisingly close to taking the lead when Vaibhavi Medh’s effort, which was directed towards the top-right corner of the goal, hit the underside of the crossbar and fell directly into the gloves of a relieved and surprised Taware.
{{/usCountry}}Bishop’s Kalyaninagar striker Anushka Salunkhe was the next player to try her luck from a long way out. The young striker wrapped her foot around the ball, but the strike was aimed directly at keeper Ariya Taware, who had no trouble handling the effort. Kalyaninagar came tantalisingly close to taking the lead when Vaibhavi Medh’s effort, which was directed towards the top-right corner of the goal, hit the underside of the crossbar and fell directly into the gloves of a relieved and surprised Taware.
{{/usCountry}}1-0, Kalyaninagar
All the hard work finally paid off when Kalyaninagar pushed Camp into their own box. In a crowded penalty area, amidst all the chaos to clear the ball to safety, Shivanjali Pandit managed to unleash a shot at goal, as the ball picked up a heavy deflection off a defender and rolled into the net, leaving the goalkeeper Taware, rooted to her spot. Camp almost reinstated parity as Durga Shewale sprinted down the left flank and caught the Kalyaninagar defence napping.
The youngster had no support in the box to whip in a cross, as she cut inside on her right foot and smashed the ball towards goal. The shot, however, was directly aimed at the goalkeeper, who collected it easily.
2-0, Kalyaninagar
Ekta Reddy came close to extending Kalyaninagar’s advantage, but her scuffed effort from the right flank flew wide. From the resulting goal kick, Kalyaninagar were gifted a chance to double their advantage as Taware’s goal kick landed straight in Vaibhavi Medh’s feet. Medh paced towards the goal and slid in a sublime pass to Arshi Wadhwani, who then dribbled past a defender and placed her shot well past a hapless goalkeeper to give Kalyaninagar a 2-0 lead towards the end of the first half.
Second half
After swapping sides, the situation remained the same. In the second half, Camp did not look hungry to fight back. In the opening few minutes of the second half, Kalyaninagar scored their third and final goal of the game as Bishop’s Camp lost all hope of making a dramatic comeback. Vaibhavi Medh strolled through a lazy Bishop’s Camp defence from the half-line, and buried her effort into the bottom left corner as Kalyaninagar had one hand on the prize.
Shortly after the third goal, Shivanjali Pandit tried her luck from a long way out, but her effort was aimed wide. After establishing a commanding three-goal lead, Bishop’s Kalyaninagar eased the pressure, but they were still able to play with a very high back-line because Camp were still refraining from launching an attack. After losing the ball in the midfield on multiple occasions, Bishop’s Camp were unable to fill the void which was left between their attack and midfield. After a slow, cagey game in the final few minutes, the full-time whistle was blown, confirming Bishop’s Kalyaninagar as champions.
After the game
“I really love my team and we have been playing together since a very long time. Winning this final means a lot to me and all the players because we do not know who will be in the team next year and who will leave. It will be disappointing for me if I do not get a chance to play with these girls in the next tournament.”
- Arshi Wadhwani, HT Player of the match, Bishop’s Kalyaninagar
“We played exactly the way we do in our practice sessions. The girls did not lose shape and not once were the caught out of position. I hope we retain this form and keep improving ourselves. Apart from that, it was really good to see both Bishop’s sides in the final. It shows how hard the girls have worked and I am extremely proud of both the teams because they gave their 100% in this match.”
Tabassum Shaikh, coach, Bishop’s Kalyaninagar