Subroto Cup: Jharkhand take on Kerala in semifinals

New Delhi: BSL High School from Jharkhand had to settle the issue with Army Boys of Lucknow Cantonment, via a penalty shootout to move into the under-17 boys semifinals of the 55th Subroto Cup International Football Tournament here on Saturday.

With the score tied at 1-1 after the regulation period, it was broken through penalty shootout in which the Jharkhand outfit emerged 5-3 winners. The other team that made it to the semis was MSP Higher Secondary School from Kerala, who scored a facile 1-0 win over SAI (Assam). The winners will clash in the semifinals on October 13.

As for the first quarterfinal, Jharkhand kept a tight leash over the Army Boys. With little room for manoeuver, the Army forwards were finding it difficult to breach. During the regulation period, M D Raja scored for the Lucknow team but Karan restored parity to take the issue to penalties.

Nitish Hazar, Seilen Mang, Samir Tamang & Karan Rai hit the target with perfection from the spot for winners but for the Army Boys only Mina Ketan and P Bhutia converted.

Unlike the first quarterfinal, the one between Kerala and Assam failed to arouse any anxiety among spectators as teams were too cautious with their approach and wasted time holding the ball in their halves.

The first session was played with little verve but after the break, the teams were hurrying in order to bring out a result. However, one had to wait for the first and only goal which came in the 67th minute when Johnas made most of a defence lapse and excellent midfield work to put the team up and in the quarters.