So we went in with full preparation after Akbar sir giving us valuable tips on how to handle KGPs No 7 and No 10. The kick off was at 10:00 am.
We started the match confidently putting in crosses from the wings to test their defense. In the second minute of the match we got a free kick at about ~30 m from the goal. Again Shyam took the free kick and I intuitively started running around their defense line to shake off the man marking me before finally positioning myself near the near post. I could never forget the next twenty seconds of the play. He took the kick and it was beautifully lobbed in just above the wall (I thought he would go for goal) and hit my leg and bounced for a volley near the D-line at almost zero angle to the near post. The next few moments were like slow motion, my eyes lit up seeing the opportunity for a volley and I swung my right leg for a perfect out foot shot. The ball grazed the goal keepers hand and went into the goal (the sweet sound of the nets). This time I was stunned by the situation and managed to do a Thiery Henry kind of celebration telling the audience to be quiet. It was yet another moment of eternal bliss. With the adrenaline running high and by being crushed by the hugs from my teammates – this is my most memorable moment of my FC career. We were leading against IIT KGP at the 3rd minute!!!
Of course we still had miles to go before the end. The KGP team quickly raised the tempo of their game and we entered a total defense mode. I dropped behind to play as a CDM . As I said before the KGP team’s skill level is a class apart and they were attacking from left and right , shots were being taken from all around the field . Our goal keeper was never tested to this kind of attack before. Expectations were lower from him after stepping into the shoes of Paki. But the following hour’s performance he gave for the team demands huge respect (He was almost equal to Paki) – saving at least 20~25 shots. I witnessed one of most hard working defense during the rest of the match. Special Thanks to them (Ravi Kiran – RB , Khalid – CB , Madhu- CB , Subhav- LB )! They were literally drained out of energy after the match. Even I have been drained out - At one point I was literally tackled in the air and was breathless for a minute and the referee had to force me to sit out but I refused and continued playing. The first half ended with us in the lead 1-0.
At the beginning of second half we decided we couldn’t risk the chance conceding by defending heavily so we decide we’ll take a couple of chances and then at the 48th minute we had one lucky counter attack. Navanshu got the ball in the center and gave a beautiful lob-through ball over their high defense line up and Anil made a timely run to get ahead of the defense to have a one on one chance with the goal keeper. Their goal keeper made a huge blunder of advancing and seeing this Anil chipped the ball above the head of the goal keeper (who was outside the D-Line now ) for a goal. It was one of the most beautiful goals I had witnessed. That moment we were sure that the match is ours and that we were knocking out the favorites out of the championship. The numerous attempts of KGP at goal were either blocked by the defense of stopped by the Deepak who was in superlative form. The whole of IITH contigent was present during the match chanting Goomtha lakdi gula gula Hoo Haa Hoo Haa . The whole ground was vibrating at the final blow of the whistle. We did it again; we broke the shackles again to reach the semifinal knocking out the favorites. The KGP team was in tears after the game. I couldn’t believe the result. Will had beat Skill!
Nevertheless this game had taken a heavy toll on us leaving many injuries on many of our players. We gave our best in the semis and 3rd place match losing by a margin of only one goal each. The referees who had initially been against us were full in respect and awe for us and our coach after the tournament. This was a defining moment in IITH FC timeline – we had started to make older IITs fear – we again proved we are no longer a new IIT and finally we proved “ Will beats Skill” .
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| IITH FC Class of 2013 |
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