Pro Kicks edged Tony Football Club via a penalty shootout and Game Point defeated St Patrick’s by a solitary goal in the semifinals of the 13th Jaya Rao Memorial Inter-School Tournament in Bolarum, Secunderabad on Saturday.
The first semifinal between Tony Football Club and Pro Kicks turned out to be a thrilling affair with both sides competing well. Both sides defended their respective citadels well which made life difficult for the strikers.
Both teams put their best foot forward but neither was able to breach the rival fortress. As a result, the match ended in a goalless draw at the end of regular play.
Tony FC take on Pro Kicks, St Patrick’s clash with Game Point in semis of Jaya Rao football
This led to the penalty shootout to find the winner. Here too both sides went neck and neck, but Pro Kicks managed to eke out a 5-4 win. For Pro Kicks, the goals were scored by Rohan, Drush, Kerthan, Dipanjal, and Soneesh. Aaron, Arnav, Ronath, and Kaushik struck for Tony Football Club.
It was a thrilling semifinal that showcased determination, teamwork, and fighting spirit from both sides. Pro Kicks secured their place in the final, while Tony FC put up a strong performance throughout the match.
In the second semifinal, Game Point of Kukatpally defeated St Patrick’s by a solitary goal. The all-important goal was scored by Ganesh in the 45th minute of the match. Ganesh struck with a fabulous header after receiving the ball off a corner kick by Vaneel.
The final will be between Pro Kicks (Kowkoor, Bolarum) and Game Point (Kukatpally), while Tony Football Club (Trimulgherry) will take on St Patrick’s (Secunderabad) for the third place.
Former India junior player Pratap Sheelan was the chief guest of the day. Sheelan also played for Indian Railways and Andhra Pradesh. He was also coach of the Railways team and also the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh.
Bhushan Raj, PET of LRMG Government Boys’ High School in Bolarum, was also present on the day.
Results (semifinals): Pro Kicks beat Tony Football Club 5-4 via penalty shootout. Game Point 1 (Ganesh) beat St Patrick’s 0.
