B-Division matches going on in Jammu
Srinagar, April 15: The matches of the ongoing first Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (MMS) Memorial Football Tournament restarted at Synthetic Turf TRC in Srinagar on Saturday (April 14) after a hiatus of two weeks due to the prevailing situation in the Valley.
Lone Star KFC defeated J&K State Football Academy (SFA) by two goals to nil in a high voltage match. The star studded teams played aggressive football from the word go which delighted the fans who had thronged the venue in huge numbers.
As the match started, forwards of both the teams started attacking other’s goalpost to seize an early initiative. However, defence lines of both the teams ensured that no damage was done and the first half ended with score line reading 0-0. The goalkeepers of both the teams made some exceptional saves.
The second half also started with the two teams making all out efforts to open their account. The intense battle continued for most part of the second half. However, Faisal Gulzar of Lone Star team managed to score first goal of the match in 57th minute of the play when he shot a kick straight into the opposite goalpost. The lead boosted the morale of Lone Star players and they went on all out attack. In 70th minute of the match Karun Raina doubled the lead for Lone Star.
Trailing by two goals, the SFA players tried their best to score, but strong defence lines of Lone Star thwarted all their attempts. When referee blew the final whistle the score line read 2-0 in favour of Lone Star. Umer Bashir, goalkeeper of the winning team was declared as player of the match for his brilliant performance. It was due to his efforts that SFA team couldn’t score any goal in the match. He was awarded Rs 1000 cash and a memento.
Meanwhile, in Jammu the B-Division matches of the event are going on in full swing at different venues. Akhnoor FC defeated Young Tigers FC by two foals to one in a B-Division match. Ali and Akash were scorers for the winning team while Tashi scored lone goal for Young Tigers.
In Kathua, 23 matches of the event have been completed while 19 more matches would be played in the coming days. Top football Clubs of Jammu, Kathua, Hiranagar, Billawar and Basohli are taking part in the tournament, which is being held under the banner of Jammu and Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) and is sponsored by J&K State Sports Council.
While in Kashmir region, first and second phase matches of the event have been completed, in Jammu region first phase matches are going on. So far nearly 1700 matches have been played in the event across the state while more than 400 matches are expected to be held at different venues in J&K in coming days.
The aim of the tournament is to unearth the hidden talent in all corners of the state including remote areas. In Srinagar district 104 clubs/teams participated in the first phase of the event and 280 matches of premier division, super division, A, B and sub junior categories were held between August and December 2017.