It was a game that they dominated, but in the end it took a header in the first-half of extra-time by Setungchim to ensure that the Subroto Cup Boys Under-17 crown came to Nagaland after 42 years.

Pilgrim Higher Secondary School (PHSS), Dimapur, Nagaland, beat Government Model Higher Secondary School (GMHSS), Chandigarh, 1-0 to win the 61st Subroto Cup International Football Tournament Boys Under-17 title at the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi.

Captain Bapen and Thanglenngam combined together well on the left flank where most of the attacks were created. Chandigarh had the best chance of the first half when tournament top scorer Lemmet tested goalkeeper Shotok, who saved well to keep the scores even.

The second half was an even affair with both teams not able to create any clear opportunities, taking the game to extra time. The Nagaland side however, looked the more compact and organised team in attack throughout the game.

The goal came early in the first half of extra-time when off a Tongtinlen corner, Setungchim, who had scored a hat-trick in the semi-finals, rose highest to deflect a header past Rohit in the Chandigarh goal.

The 61st Subroto Cup edition began on September 06, 2022, with the Boys Under-14 tournament starting off proceedings. After Manipur’s Heirok HS won that category, the girls of St Patricks, Jumla in Jharkhand took the Girls Under-17 crown.

In all, a total of 92 schools representing 25 States and Union Territories of India participated in the three (U-14 Boys, U-17 Girls, U-17 Boys) categories including a team from Bangladesh.

The winners received Rs 3,50,000 while the runners up recieved Rs 2,00,000. The semi-finalists and Quarter-finalists Rs 1,50,000 and Rs 1,00,000 respectively. The Fair play trophy winners received Rs 50,000 while the Best Player and Best School received Rs 40,000 each. The Best Goalkeeper and Best Coach received Rs 25,000 each.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:

Best Player - Lemmet Tangvah, GMHSS, Chandigarh

Best Goalkeeper - Shotok Nikhuyi, PMHSS, Nagaland

Best Coach - Ankur Khanna, GMHSS, Chandigarh

Best School - Pilgrim HSS, Dimapur, Nagaland

Fair Play Trophy - 10+2 Zila School, Chabasia, Jharkhand