Udaipur : The Under-17 team of Zinc Football Academy won the Under-19 Futsal Championship held in Jaipur this week. Participating in their first competitive tournament after a long time, Zinc Football boys won this two-day competition in the most convincing manner possible, exhibiting the hard work and dedication these budding footballers have put in during a short span of time.
Zinc Football Academy opened their campaign with a thumping 10-0 victory over Uttar Pradesh before grabbing maximum points against Gujarat (5-1) and Telangana (8-0). In the quarter-final, the team defeated Rajasthan 3-0 while their semi-final encounter against Madhya Pradesh ended in a 5-1 victory and book the finale ticket. In the final against Assam, the Zawar boys had to work hard as it had to be decided in the tie-breaker. Zinc Football won the match and the Championship eventually with the final scoreline reading 4-3.
Ashish Mayla top-scored for the Zinc Football team during the tournament with 15 strikes to the back of the net while Mohammed Riyaz emerged as his perfect partner with 8 goals.
Sunil Dutt, Coach, Zinc Football Academy said: “I am proud of my boys for the way they fought for every ball, especially considering this is the first tournament we are participating in after a long time. We are happy to end the year on a high and will look forward to continue this winning momentum in 2021.”
Zinc Football is an initiative of Vedanta Hindustan Zinc to usher in a footballing revolution in Rajasthan. It is a one-of-its-kind grassroots development programme using football as a tool for social and community development and ensuring young kids have a platform to express themselves through football.