The Indian youth team completed an unbeaten campaign, defeating Brazil’s RS Sports 2-1 to secure consecutive World Youth Cup trophies in Sweden.
GOTHENBURG: India’s Minerva Academy successfully defended their Gothia Cup Under-12 title, clinching back-to-back championships at the world’s premier youth football tournament with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Brazil’s RS Sports Yellow.
A dramatic 49th-minute free-kick from Mekhamkhraw Nongrem broke a tense second-half deadlock, capping off a stellar, unbeaten European tour for the Chandigarh-based youth academy.
Minerva Academy opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes when tournament standout T. Kipgen found the back of the net with a composed finish. However, the Brazilian side mounted a swift response, equalizing before the halftime whistle to leave the teams level at 1-1.
The second half turned into a tactical battle of attrition. As the match approached its final minutes, Minerva won a critical set-piece just outside the penalty area. Nongrem stepped up to curl a precise shot past the wall and into the net, sealing the championship.
Minerva’s run to the title featured absolute dominance. The team won all eight of their tournament matches, scoring an astonishing 86 goals while conceding only seven. This triumph comes less than a week after the academy lifted the Helsinki Cup in Finland, completing a historic double in European youth football this summer
