A winning finish could not save Tripura Sports School from an early exit in the Subroto Mukerjee Cup even after securing Group Runner’s spot.
In Agartala, Kalyan Samiti delivered the stronger result by eliminating defending champions Bloodmouth Club and securing a place in the Neel Jyoti Rakhal Shield final.
3 Key Takeaways:
- Tripura Sports School defeated Delhi 3-1 but exited the Subroto Cup after finishing second in the group.
- Kalyan Samiti beat defending champions Bloodmouth Club 2-0 to reach the Rakhal Shield final.
- Kalyan Samiti will face Agiye Chalo Sangha in the August 24 title clash.
Tripura Football Sees Mixed Results
Saturday produced contrasting results for Tripura football.
Tripura Sports School ended its campaign in the 65th Subroto Mukerjee Cup with a 3-1 win over hosts Delhi. The result came at Tejas Ground in New Delhi.
However, the victory did not take the team into the next stage. Tripura finished second in the group and bowed out of the tournament.
At the same time, Kalyan Samiti made a major statement in the Rakhal Shield. The Agartala side defeated defending champions Bloodmouth Club 2-0 in the second semifinal at Umakanta Mini Stadium.
Tripura Sports School Beat Delhi 3-1
The Tripura girls entered the final group match after losing to Jharkhand. That defeat increased the pressure on the team.
Coach Shubhenjit Sinha urged his players to respond strongly. They did exactly that.
Tripura Sports School started on the front foot. The players attacked from the opening whistle and put Delhi under sustained pressure.
The approach produced an early reward. Tripura went into the half-time break with a 1-0 advantage.
Jessica Jhara, Venisa Halam and Mina Tripura scored for the Tripura Sports School. Delhi managed one goal, but the Tripura team remained in control and completed a 3-1 victory.
The win ended the campaign on a positive note. However, the earlier defeat against Jharkhand proved costly.
Injuries Affect Tripura Campaign
Sinha praised the players after the match. He said the girls performed brilliantly throughout the tournament.
The coach also highlighted injuries suffered during the match against Army Public School. According to Sinha, the injuries affected the team during the later stages of the competition.
He believed Tripura could have produced a stronger challenge against Jharkhand if the squad had remained injury-free.
The team will return to Tripura on Sunday.
Kalyan Samiti Knock Out Bloodmouth
Kalyan Samiti produced a powerful second-half performance to defeat Bloodmouth Club 2-0.
The match took place under floodlights at Umakanta Mini Stadium despite heavy rain.
Kalyan Samiti controlled the midfield for most of the match. Manish Singh and his teammates played an important role in maintaining that control.
Bloodmouth relied on counter-attacks. However, the defending champions struggled to create clear scoring opportunities.
Kalyan Samiti goalkeeper Khailam Jackson Singh also made several important saves. His performance kept Bloodmouth away from the scoresheet.
The first half ended 0-0.
Changtham Breaks Deadlock
Kalyan Samiti increased the pressure after the break.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 58th minute. Changtham K Singh scored a fine goal to give Kalyan Samiti a 1-0 lead.
The goal changed the momentum of the match. Kalyan Samiti grew in confidence and continued to attack.
Bloodmouth struggled to contain the pressure. Their defence began to leave gaps as they searched for an equaliser.
With only two minutes left, Mainam A Hossain put the result beyond doubt. He scored Kalyan Samiti second goal and sealed a 2-0 victory.
Kishan Singh was named Player of the Match. Baju Tiso officiated the semifinal.
Kalyan Samiti Face Agiye Chalo Sangha
Kalyan Samiti will now play Agiye Chalo Sangha in the Neel Jyoti Rakhal Shield final on August 24.
The final will bring together two teams that have shown strong form in the knockout stages.
For Kalyan Samiti, the victory over the defending champions has created significant momentum ahead of the title clash.
For Tripura Sports School, the Subroto Cup campaign ends with a sense of frustration despite a convincing final victory. The team showed its attacking quality against Delhi but paid the price for the earlier loss to Jharkhand.
The contrasting outcomes underline an eventful day for Tripura football, with one side ending its campaign while another moved within one match of a major title.
