Late goals propel Mother’s International School to Subroto Cup Junior Girls title

NEW DELHI — Three late goals propelled Mother’s International School to the title in the Junior Girls category of the 63rd Subroto Cup International Football Tournament as they beat Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP) 4-1 in a thrilling final which was played here at the Ambedkar Stadium. 

Mira Khatun gave BKSP the lead in the 21st minute of the game. Urvashi Kumari equalised in the 40th minute while Babita Kumari gave the lead in the final minute of regulation time. Sanjana Oraon scored twice in injury time to ensure the title for the school from Jharkhand. 

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, AVSM, VM, VSM, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff presented the trophy to the winners along with guest of honour, Olympian gymnast Dipa Karmakar.

The day’s events commenced with a grand performance by the Air Warrior Drill Team (AWDT), which was followed by a vibrant cultural performance by students from the Air Force Bal Bharti School, Lodhi Road. The audience was captivated by these displays, setting the stage for the much-anticipated final.

BKSP looked the better side from the whistle as they tested Mother’s International goalkeeper Anisha from distance on a couple of occasions. The Jharkhand girls looked composed side as they relied on short passes to build attacks, while the Bangladesh side deployed long balls as their strikers tried to find space behind the defence.

BKSP drew first blood as Miran Khatun took full advantage of the fumble by the Jharkhand keeper as she finished from point blank for the lead. Mother’s International took control of the game but BKSP’s defence stood their ground to maintain the lead at half-time.

Jharkhand dominated from the start of the second half as they equalised soon. Urvashi Kumari expertly finished from a set piece. A late surge by Mother’s International saw them take the lead in the final minute of regulation time as Babita Kumari struck the winner, taking advantage of the lucky deflection she got inside the box. In injury time, BKSP pushed for the equaliser but Sanjana Oraon’s twin strikes ensured that the Junior Girls Subroto Cup returned to Jharkhand for the third time in a row.

The Winners received INR  5,00,000 while the runner-up received INR  3,00,000.

With the conclusion of the Junior Girls final, the 63rd Subroto Cup action will now shift to Bengaluru for the Sub-Junior Boys (U-15) tournament, scheduled from August 19 to August 28. In Bengaluru, the matches will be played at the ASC Centre, the Air Force School, Jalahalli, the Air Force School, Yelahanka, and the HQ Training Command Football Ground.