Cooperage Stadium hosted the ultimate tie of the Premier Cup, a popular youth championship held in association with the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The finale saw defending champions Minerva Punjab FC repeat history yet again as they defeated Ozone FC 3-0 on Friday evening.
Strikes from Jeakson Singh (7′), Lalchhanhima Sailo (11′) and Md. Shahjahan (33′) were enough to deny the Bengaluru side from winning the tournament in their debut spell.
Nike
The showdown witnessed scintillating action as the two sides battled it out for the prestigious trophy. Ultimately, it was The Warriors who lifted the cup and also a prize money of INR 5 lakhs. Runners up Ozone FC received a cash prize of INR 1.5 lakhs. Also, Ozone FC skipper Ajay Alex was awarded for being the highest scorer of the competition.
Bhaichung Bhutia, Chairman of AIFF Technical Committee and Former Indian football captain, was also present at the game, too. He described the tournament as an ideal platform for youngsters to showcase their talent.
''A tournament like this provides our young footballers an opportunity to showcase their talent at a national stage. Throughout the tournament, we have seen some exceptional individual and team performances in the group stages and in the finals today. This tournament truly provides these athletes an opportunity to compete against the best in their age group and learn from each other. I would like to congratulate all the teams who were part of this year’s Nike Premier Cup,'' he remarked.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
