Minerva Punjab’s Fairy Tale I-League Season Ends on a Dream Note
Minerva Punjab FC win their first I-League trophy after they beat Churchill Brothers 1-0 in their final match.
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This year’s I-league has put to rest all the question marks regarding the relevance of the competition, a debate which has been raging on from last year.
Minerva Punjab FC were crowned the I-league champions on the very last day of the competition, after they beat Churchill Brothers 1-0. William Opuku Asiedu netted the winner for Minerva in the first half.
This season the tournament has been able to prove all its detractors wrong with four teams – Minerva FC, East Bengal, NEROCA FC and Mohun Bagan being in contention for glory till the final day.
After Aizawl FC spoiled the party for the Kolkata giants last season, Minerva Punjab FC ruffled some feathers this time.
While Mohun Bagan drew their game against Gokulam FC, East Bengal and NEROCA FC too drew their last match. All three teams needed a win to get their hands on the trophy.
After a below par performance in the debut season, Minerva Punjab FC won the I-League in their second appearance in the tournament.
Minerva Punjab FC, also known as Minerva Academy, are an Indian professional football club based in Chandigarh. The team was established in 2005 as Minerva Academy, and has a football as well as a cricket club.
Ten years later in 2015, the team tasted its first success when they claimed the Senior State Football Championship title in Chandigarh after beating Liberty Football Club on the final day of the season. They followed it up with a brilliant show in their maiden I-League second division season in 2015-16, finishing behind Dempo in the final round. Despite taking up the second slot, they were able to become a part of the I-League top tier through one of the two corporate entry slots.
Minerva’s debut I-league campaign wasn’t as decorated as the current one. In their first season, the newly-promoted side struggled to keep pace with the more experienced opponents, and a ninth-place finish was inevitable.
This season, however, has been different ball game for the Punjab-based outfit. After releasing all their foreign signings at the start of the season, they acquired players who suited their natural style of play.
The trio started delivering results from the very first match and Minerva Punjab FC were off to a brilliant start in the I-League, with four wins and a draw from their first five games.
With six wins at home and five away wins, Minerva Punjab FC were consistent for a greater part of the tournament. Only East Bengal (32) and Mohun Bagan (28) has scored more goals than Minerva, whose final tally stand at 24.
According to Khogen Singh, coach of Minerva Punjab FC, fitness and the foreign players have been the two most important aspect of their campaign this season.
Minerva’s star player Chencho Gyeltshen was rejected by both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, but the Bhutanese star has turned the table for the side scoring seven goals this season. His partnership with William Opuku has been instrumental in Minerva Punjab FC’s success this season.
With this win, Minerva Punjab FC become the second side from Punjab after JCT FC to win the I-league. Earlier in 1996-97, JCT FC managed to lift the erstwhile National League.
After Aizawl FC last season, Minerva’s win this time has surely continued the romance between I-league and the minnows. Minerva’s successful campaign this season will be a great advertisement for the game in the country, especially in Punjab.
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