Chandigarh, November 29- Haryana beat Manipur 1-0 in the final to be crowned champions in the BC Roy Junior National Championships (Tier-II) at Railways Ground, Rajkot. Despite being one of the lesser fancied team in the tournament in comparison to the likes of Manipur, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the Haryana team came through due to their sheer grit and determination.
So much so, that they did not even concede a single goal in the entire tournament. “My boys defended their heart out in the tournament. We had some tough matches against the likes of Maharashtra in the group stage, Tamil Nadu in the semifinal, and then Manipur in the final,” said Haryana coach Anil Kumar.
“But the lads showed great discipline and stuck to the plan in all these matches. Even as the rivals threw everyone in attack, we held on and earned our wins,” he said. “Even our midfielders and strikers played deep in order to help the defence.”
Anil Kumar believes that Haryana’s victory in the Junior National Championships (Tier II) could go a long way in improving the state of football in the state. “It is difficult to get the kids together for a prolonged period as they all have to go to school but we managed to have a training camp for around 15 days, which really helped,” said Kumar.
“We have already been doing well in the women’s football. Now this victory can go a long way in improving the men’s football in Haryana too,” he concluded.