BJEM boys win penalty shoot-out tournament

Odisha Sun Times Sports Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Aug 24:

Buxi Jagabandhu English Medium (BJEM) School edged out Ramakrishna Sikhya Kendra 4-3 in the final via sudden death to emerge champions in the penalty shoot-out tournament organized by Unit-VI Athletic Association as part of the silver jubilee celebration of the 25th Kalinga Marine-Bibekananda Memorial Inter-School Football Tournament at Unit-VI Govt Boys’ High School ground here on Sunday.

Prithvi Priya Kumar Dash starred in the BJEM win as he successfully converted a spot kick each in routine shoot out and sudden death.

While his team mates Abhijit Sahoo and Anshuman Sethi hit the target, Siddharth Mohanty and Aditya Ashutosh Sethi failed in their efforts.

For Ramakrishna Sikhya Kendra, Milan Behera, Dhaneswar Murmu and Baidyanath Murmu scored successfully, while Laxmidhar Murmu and Sipun Sankhua missed the target.

Ramakrishna Sikhya Kendra lost the contest as Bidyadhar Murmu shot wide in the sudden death.

A total of 15 schools participated in the offbeat tournament.

Earlier in the semifinals, BJEM School beat Kalinga Bidyapitha while Ramakrishna Sikhya Kendra got the better of DAV School, Pokhariput.

The other 11 teams in the fray were Tapovan High School, Prabjuhee English Medium School, Kendriya Vidyalaya No 2, St Xavier School (Kedargrouri), St Josepth School, Kendriya Vidyalaya No 3, Delhi Public School, Unit-VI Govt Boys High School, Venkateswar English Medium School, Aurobinda Integral School and Mother’s Public School.

Indian women’s football team’s former head coach Mohammad Shahid Jabbar handed over the trophy to the winning team in the presence of Unit-VI Athletic Association vice-presidents Akshya Kumar Das, Prafulla Kumar Mishra, secretary Dilip Das and Bhubaneswar Athletic Association joint-secretary Naba Ranjan Patnaik.

Anup Patra of DAV School, Pokhariput, was adjudged the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

Speaking on the occasion, Jabbar advised school footballers to make extra effort to improve their skill in penalty shootout.

“With football matches often going to tie-break, the art of successfully shooting from the penalty spot and saving on the goal line has assumed importance. Keeping this in mind, young footballers should develop skills required in this area,’’ he observed.

KMBM Inter-School Tournament will resume on Monday with Unit-VI Govt Boys High School meeting Bibekananda School and Tapoban High School taking on Venkateswar English Medium School in the next two group league matches.