The wind blew, players were getting ready, studs put on and socks pulled. Everyone had come together with one and only aspiration, to dominate the play field. The wet crispy grass beckoned the ball. Now, the players were ready and the whistle blew. The ball went in the air and the spectators were filled with excitement and anxiety.
This was the environment when our school’s under-17 football team visited the Essar International School, Surat for the Subroto Cup Competition. This was the moment for which our school football team had been practising for two weeks. After getting the blessings from Pujya Suhrad Swamji and wishes from teachers and our brothers, our team had departed for the tournament from AVM.
Our first match was against Shanti Asiatic School, Surat. The match was completely dominated by the atmiyans. After a few minutes, Keyurbhai Rana perfectly timed three shots in a row on the target and scored three goals for the team! After this moment the team was further filled with confidence which later motivated Meetbhai and Karanbhai to score a goal each. Finally, it turned out to be an easy win for us with the final score of 5-0.
With this win, the atmiyans qualified for the quarter-finals against P. P. Savani School IGCSE Board Team. The team’s confidence level was boosted and all were inspired to defeat the opponents with a keen spirit of sportsmanship.
This second match started with complete control by the atmiyans. But unfortunately, the team could not place the ball in the net because of the opponent’s tough defence. As a result, the match ended in a draw. And it moved into the realm of precious penalties. Sarvanamanbhai and Keyurbhai scored a goal each and yet, the match resulted in a final score of 3-2. The opponents sealed the victory in their name.
We are thankful to the teachers and mentors like Tejas Sir, Ritesh Sir, Sarvajit Sir and Tarun Sir for their constant support and guidance. Special thanks also to all the alumni of our school: Manhilbhai, Arpitbhai, Lalitbhai, Parthbhai, Divyangbhai and Rajbhai for taking out their precious time to encourage us.
Reported by: Jagrat Gada, Karan Desai, Meet Patel
