Minerva Academy, Punjab FC storm into final of AIFF U-15 Junior League

Jamshedpur, May 25: Minerva Academy FC and Punjab FC booked their places in the final of the AIFF U-15 Junior League with semifinal wins at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Saturday, setting up an all-Punjab clash for the title on May 28 th.

Minerva Academy produced a masterclass in the morning semifinal, dismantling a strong Bengaluru FC side 7-2 in a goal-filled encounter. After a goalless first half, Denamoni set the tone early in the second half with two quick strikes in the 47th and 48th minutes. Although Bengaluru responded with goals from Hrishikesh Charan Manavathi (55′) and Akash Mondal (62′), Minerva turned up the heat in the final half-hour. Nitin Kumar struck twice (72′, 87′) before Azam Khan completed a sensational hat-trick in just seven minutes (81′, 83′, 88′) to seal a dominant win.

In the afternoon semifinal, Punjab FC displayed disciplined football to overpower East Bengal 5-1. Bikash Singh was the standout performer, scoring a brace in the 11th and 63rd minutes. Taibang Ngamba added a third in the 56th minute, and Prabhjot Singh rounded off the performance with a late goal in the 85th. East Bengal’s lone reply came via a penalty from Dipak Mondal in the 25th minute, but they struggled to break down Punjab’s organised defence thereafter.