MANIPAL: Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) A, beat defending champions Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MCOPS) in the men’s category, while Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Mangalore completed a successful title defence in the women’s category, beating MIT – to win the 2019 edition of Inter Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) football tournament, held from March 3-5 at MIT and MAHE grounds.
It was a recap of last year’s final in the women’s category, as reigning champions and runners up – KMC Mangalore and MIT respectively, faced each other yet again for the coveted title. MIT looked very determined this year as they managed to keep KMC Mangalore away from keeping too much possession of the ball in the opening minutes of the game. However, KMC Mangalore netted two goals in the first half, thanks to their fast attackers. The pace of the game proved to be too quick for MIT, but they still had some fight left in them. They managed to hold the ball better in the second half, but couldn’t prevent the opposite team from scoring yet another goal, finishing the match with a 3-0 scoreline.
In the men’s category, MIT-A were clear favourites even though they were playing against the defending champions. MCOPS were missing a lot of their key players from last year. After winning the Manipal University Football League (MUFL) without even breaking a sweat, MIT-A were confident going into the finals.
The first half was goalless even though it saw waves of attacks by MIT-A who were very fluid in their passing and ball distribution. This half also saw some fantastic goalkeeping by the MCOPS goalie. The second half comprised of a more compact play from both the teams. The players were out of gas and it was all about who persevered that little bit more. In the last ten minutes, MIT-A got a surge of energy when their wingers brought on more attacks through the wings. The winning goal, however, only came in the dying minutes through a corner which was headed into the net by their centre back.
The three-day event was very competitive and exhausting for the players, as well as the officials. The extreme heat and humidity tested the players’ endurance and composure on and off the pitch. A total of nine teams participated in the women’s category and eighteen teams went head to head in the men’s category. Biju Jacob, an official from MAHE, said that the level of the competition is increasing every year, with players putting in a lot of hard work and practice daily to improve their skills.
The three-day event finally concluded with the prize distribution ceremony and the officials applauded the efforts of the players for making it such an interesting and exciting tournament.
Featured Image Courtesy: Venish Momaya
Edited by: Tarush Dhume
