Vadodara: Corbett FC and Golazo FC will contest the final of the third edition of the AIFF Futsal Club Championship 2023-24 at the Swarnim Gujarat Sports University on Sunday.
With both teams marking their first-ever appearance in the tournament this season, a new champions will be crowned for the third time in a row. Corbett FC thrashed the inaugural champions Delhi FC 11-1 in the quarter-finals, before winning 6-5 in the semi-final against Ambelim SC.
Golazo FC, hailing from Himachal Pradesh, have had an utterly dominant campaign so far, conceding just five goals in as many matches, while scoring 39. They were somewhat made to work against FC Thyristor in the semi-final as they came from 1-2 down to win 5-3.
A goal-laden final could be on the cards as both teams have displayed high-speed attacking futsal in the tournament so far, scoring at least five goals in each of their matches.
Corbett FC topped Group A, easing past the likes of Nyenshen FC, Millat FC, Sports Odisha and Classic Football Academy. However, the defence is a bit of a concern for Mohammed Rizwan’s side as they’ve kept only two clean sheets and conceded 14 goals.
They survived a late scare by Ambelim on Friday as their comfortable 6-2 lead was slashed to 6-5 in a matter of minutes, however, the Uttarakhand side held on for the win ultimately.
Golazo FC topped Group D against Casa Barwani SC, Delhi FC and JCT Football Academy, registering the highest goal difference of any side in the competition group stage at +24.
They are coached by the highly experienced Joshuah Vaz, who made history last year by becoming the first-ever Indian national futsal team coach, partaking in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers.
With the two finalists being the free-scorers of the tournament so far, it is no surprise that the Golden Boot race is also led by their protagonists. PC Lalruatsanga of Corbett FC currently leads the chart with 15 goals, while Golazo FC’s Stephen Satarkar is close behind at 13. The final will not only be the opportunity to help their club become champions, but also hunt the individual prize.
However, there’s no doubt that with these two teams on the pitch, goals can come from anybody’s boots. The likes of Pratik Swami, Malsawmtluanga Pautu, Lalbiakzuala and Aaron Dcosta for Corbett FC, and Clinton Rosario D’Souza, Lalsangkima, Sachin Patil and Jayesh Sutar for Golazo FC have chipped in with goals at crucial moments throughout the tournament so far, and will eye for more in the all-important final.
(IANS)
