Chennai: A second-half masterclass from the Chennaiyin FC Under-18 team saw them beat Raman Vijayan Soccer School (RVSS) 7-0 in the Hero Under-18 Youth League to win the Chennai zone and qualify for the final round for the first time.
A remarkable four goals from Joysana Singh in eight second-half minutes along with strikes from Hendry Antony, Prasanna Kumar and Jaya Ruban guaranteed CFC top spot in the Chennai zone and qualification to the final round of the competition with a game to spare.
The CFC U-18s now have 19 points from their 7 games in the Hero U-18 Youth League Chennai zone, and are out of the reach of their immediate rivals Chennai City FC and RVSS who have 9 points from 7 games and 7 points from 5 games respectively. Even if both those teams win their remaining matches, they would only amass 12 points and 16 points respectively, which would be short of CFC’s current tally of 17 points.
The game got off to a cagey start with both sides faltering in possession. Then in the 35th minute the duo of Joysana and Aman combined, the latter put in on goal, his shot missing by a whisker and hitting the side netting. CFC kept knocking on the RVSS goal in the lead up to half-time. All in all, it was a tight first half as both sides went into the break goalless.
The second period also began on an even keel, with both sides failing to create any clear-cut chances. But CFC managed to break the deadlock in the 56th minute courtesy an inviting corner kick by Aman. The ball ricocheted inside the box and fell to Hendry, whose fierce right-footed shot trickled into the back of the net after the keeper got a hand to it. And despite RVSS’s best efforts, it was soon 2-0 to CFC. Aman was yet again central to the move, as his inch-perfect through ball to Prasanna put him one-on-one with the goalkeeper. CFC’s third goal came from a delightful team move in the minute. Hendry found Aman with a raking cross-field pass, which he played into the path of Joysana, who finished it with aplomb.
It was 4-0 to CFC in the blink of an eye, this time substitute Jaya Ruban netting hardly a couple of minutes after coming on. The 16-year-old Tamil Nadu boy shimmied past two RVSS players before striking a low shot on target from distance, just out of the keeper’s reach.
Joysana got his second of the game shortly after, getting on the end of a long ball from Saurabh. The Manipur boy shrugged off his marker and volleyed past the keeper. There was no stopping Joysana in the closing stages, the CFC U-18s’ No. 38 scoring two more before the final whistle, meaning he had scored a whopping four goals in eight minutes. The CFC U-18s will now take on FC Madras in their final group game on Monday 3rd December 2018 at the SSN College Ground, looking to finish on a high.
Score: Raman Vijayan Soccer School 0 lost to Chennaiyin FC U-18s 7 (Hendry Antonay 57′, Prasanna Kumar 68′, Joysana Singh 83′, 88′, 90′, 90+1′, Jaya Ruban 85′)