Gothia Cup: Minerva Academy make history by winning boys' U-13 title

Gothenburg (Sweden), July 23 (IANS) India's Minerva Academy Fc made history on Saturday when they won the title in the Boys' Under-13 section of The World Youth Cup for Gothia Cup 2023, beating Brazilian club Ordin FC in the final.

This remarkable achievement marks a significant milestone in the history of Indian football as Minerva Academy becomes the first-ever team from India to clinch the Gothia Cup Title in the World Youth Cup's U-13 category.

The Gothia Cup is the largest football tournament for young players from all over the world with 1878 teams from 69 countries participating in the 2023 edition in age groups of 11 to 18 for boys and girls. In all 4771 matches were played this year.

In this year's Gothia Cup for Boys U-13, Minerva Academy's exceptional skills and talents were on full display as they secured a convincing victory over Brazilian side Ordin FC with a 3-1 margin in the final.

From the opening moment of the match, Minerva Academy demonstrated their intent with quick and relentless attacks, taking the lead when

Malemnganba Thiyam scored the goal in the first minute.

They established their dominance on the field and with sheer control and command over the game left everyone in awe of the quality they possessed, resulting in them soon doubling their lead when Khangembam Gibash Metei scored in the sixth minute.

Faced with a determined Brazilian side, Minerva Academy held their nerves and reduced the margin when Mauricio David Koch de Assis made it 1-2 in the 16th minute in the match played at the SKF Arena.

Minerva never lost their grip on the match and continued to control the game effectively and managed to extend their lead to 3-1 when KH Azlaan Shah scored in the 23rd minute.

The relentless attacks and shots lashing at the Ordin FC's goal exemplified their sheer domination throughout the match. Odina made some good attacks in the second half but the Minerva defence held their fort together for the entire duration and emerged winner.

In the semifinals, Minerva defeated Tecnifutbol Academy of Spain 2-0. They had thrashed FC Bellevue of Sweden 3-0 in the quarterfinals, which they reached with a thumping 10-1 win over Sweden's Onnereds 1K and a 5-0 thrashing of AFC Eskitstuna of Sweden for a place in the pre-quarters.

In the second round, Minerva Academy scored a 5-0 win over Hasle-Loren IL of Norway.

With an astounding tally of 46 goals scored and just 2 conceded in the entire tournament, Minerva Academy displayed remarkable prowess on the international stage, triumphing over clubs from various nations, including teams from Spain and Brazil in the semifinal and final, respectively.

These young talents from the Minerva Academy have been exceptional throughout and Ranjit Bajaj, founder and driving force behind Minerva Academy, has been instrumental in nurturing and supporting these talented players. His vision and dedication have showcased the immense potential Indian football has when provided with the right opportunities and support, the Minerva Academy informed in a release on Sunday.

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