NoFeL upset Saif
NoFeL Sporting Club scripted a perfect end to their fairytale run by clinching the title of the Walton U-18 Football Tournament following a 1-0 win over favourites Saif Sporting Club in the final at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium yesterday.
The youth side of a club which have been relegated from the top flight at the end of last season ended the campaign by upending a well-drilled Saif SC side with a very effective defensive display, taking advantage of their opposition’s mistakes in front of goal as well as in defence.
Arman Hossain Abir made the difference in the 81st minute with a poacher’s finish, sliding the ball past Saif SC goalkeeper Emon Hawlader after defender Mohammad Momin miscued a cross from Mohammad Piash straight to Abir’s feet in front of goal.
That was the only shot on target in the entire game from the underdogs, who were mostly busy thwarting attacks -- although they were helped by awful finishing from the Saif SC forwards.
The title in the youth event will ease some of the disappointment of the senior side going down to the Championship League, while encouraging them to have another shot at top-flight football the following season.
NoFeL SC coach Akbar Hossain Ridon, who only received his AFC B licence two months ago and debuted as head coach for the first time in his fledgling career, was looking forward to working with these players in the second-tier in the upcoming season.
“10 of the players are from Noakhali and the others from the Chattogram region. All of them are from different local academies. So even if we had only two weeks’ training before the tournament, they had footballing training in themselves. And if I’m given the opportunity to guide NoFeL SC in the league, many of these boys will be in the team,” the young coach said after the match.
While this was a battle between a youth side with round-the-year training against one with two weeks’ practice, it also pitted a seasoned coach against his long-time protege. The protege had the last laugh and took credit for his game reading and insight into the opposition tactics while the mentor Kamal Babu was, needless to say, none too pleased with the outcome.
“If you waste so many chances and then make such a defensive mistake, you are bound to lose,” Kamal told reporters while reflecting on the defeat.
The veteran was unhappy overall with the tournament, which was marred by age controversy, with one team being expelled due to fielding overage players while the eventual champions were allowed to play the final despite having similar allegations levelled against them.
“I am not pointing fingers at anyone, but you know even a six-month gap can make a huge difference in age-group football. There are some players in this tournament whom I know to be married with kids. There are players who are playing first division or second division football for years. How can they play in an under-18 tournament,” the coach questioned.
