By Shoubhik Mukhopadhyay
I-League Media Team

PUNE: 11-12-2014, the day when AIFF Elite Academy set off against Sesa FA, there was hardly anyone who could place a bet on them to be the eventual winner of U19 I-League 2014-15 lashing the biggies in the likes of Salgaocar FC, Dempo SC in the Zonal round as well as two-time champions Pune FC, host DSK Shivajians, stalwart Mohun Bagan and many more. But the prodigies from the Academy made this happen under the smart guidance of Syed Sabir Pasha, most underlying fact is that they have been invincible throughout the tourney, an astounding feat indeed.

In the Zonal round they cut loose on the first go against Sesa FA while they thrashed the veteran club boys by an unassailable margin of 3-0. Their brutality was shown prominently against Dempo SC, who had to swallow not less than 14 goals in two outings against the Academy boys. The highest point of Dempo SC was the sole goal they scored in the 1st leg while they got thrashed by 1-5. The AIFF Elite Academy team shown tremendous penetrative accuracy as well as phenomenal defensive precision. They signed off the Goa round with an outstanding goal difference of 27-1 (they had conceded the sole goal against Dempo SC). Other Goan outfits had mayhem against these youngsters who had registered 7 wins and a sole goalless draw (against Salgaocar FC).

They started the Final round just where they left the zonal round. They took a sweet revenge of Salgaocar FC who staged the best show against the academy boys in the zonal round (the 0-0 stalemate affair on 10th February, 2015). DSK Shivajians fell aghast against those mighty Academy boys who thumped a 4-1 win over the hosts in their 2nd outing. Pune FC, most experienced and successful team in the history of U19 I-league, had showed some resilience and potential against them and salvaged a hard fought 1-1 draw on the 3rd matchday.

Since then there was no stopping for Pasha’s boys. Hindustan FC and Mohun Bagan FC hardly could do any justice to their pedigree and had to pay heavy price against these skillful prodigies. After staging back-to-back victories, they almost grabbed the trophy with one hand and hit the ground against Mighty Mizo boys, Chanmari FC. To everyone’s surprise, the blue half of Mizoram hardly could show any creativity in the pitch and got knocked out by a blistering 6-0 scoreline. These boys are nothing short of an intimidating outfit to face, a bunch of silent assassins to encounter.

Although mathematically they were not champions even after the mammoth victory, they had the mandate to buy the champagne, only the icing was to be delayed. Pune FC had nothing to do but win by minimum 10 goals against Delhi based Hindustan FC to stay buoyant in the title race, which was nothing less than a herculean task for them. Finally the Pune FC boys could net thrice but it was too short to keep their title hope alive. The AIFF Elite Academy boys signed off in style with another immaculate display against United SC, winning by a praiseworthy 2-0 margin.

The Final round proved to be a little patchy for them as they could net only 20 goals in 7 outings compared to 27 in the zonal round, The youngsters showed such great football skills over the tournament, even this tad figure loom large. The management and the technical staffs are steering them in the right way so that they won’t be lamented just as ‘Talented Youngster’ but to be commemorated as a ‘triumphant footballer’.