New Delhi: The Mangala Football Club (FC) defeated Classic Football Academy (FA) 6-4 in Group D qualifiers of the Hero Futsal Club Championship 2021 to secure the last spot in the semi-finals on Thursday.
The match began with the Classic FA team leading with 2 goals within 10 minutes. Ganningam Malangmei scored these goals.
Soon, Mangala Club charged as Bapuni Bindhani and Babul Kumar Rout equalized the scores, but Malangmei hit a hat-trick and Classic FA led the first half by 3-2.
However, a rejuvenated Mangala FC snatched the lead in the second half as Rout equalized the score 3-3. Gogocha Chungkham tried to bring his FA team on track again with another goal after an unsuccessful net by the Mangala skipper Dinanbandhu Das.
Though the Classic FC received a shocking penalty due to goalkeeper Charan Singh committing a foul, the Classic FA failed to materialize the opportunity. Instead, Das converted the penalty into another goal within 7 minutes.
The pressurized FA seemed to fizzle under their opponents as Samson Keishing awarded Bindhani a 10m half-kick, due to a close half-line foul at the 35th minute, but in vain. The FA tried to tie the match as Bindhani, Rout, and Das defended their post during the last moments.
Mangala FC used swift counter-attack techniques against the defender and secured a last point and spot in the semi-finals.
They will face Delhi FC of Group C in the second semi-finals of the Futsal Club Championship.
(Avya Mathur)