A dominant display, missing only the finish…

Zinc Football Academy began their Final Round campaign with a strong performance against Indian Football heavyweights East Bengal FC, but had to settle for a goalless draw in their Group C opener in Mahilpur, Punjab.

Facing one of the giants of Indian football, ZFA showed intent right from the start. An early moment of pressure saw East Bengal FC awarded a penalty within the opening 10 minutes… but goalkeeper Smarnik Thapa rose to the occasion, producing a brilliant save to keep the scores level.

That moment set the tone for the Zawar-based Academy.

From there on, it was ZFA who dictated proceedings. With over 60% possession, the team controlled the tempo and dominated large phases of the game, creating a number of clear-cut chances.

The attacking trio, particularly wingers Shivam Pandey and Himanshu, found themselves in dangerous positions multiple times. Time and again, ZFA carved open the opposition defense. But the final finish proved elusive. On another day, the scoreline could have comfortably read 4-0 or even 5-0 in ZFA’s favour.

Despite the missed opportunities, there were plenty of positives to take away. The team looked well-adjusted to the conditions, controlled the game with maturity, and registered yet another clean sheet… continuing their strong defensive form from the zonal round.

While the result may not reflect the dominance on the pitch, ZFA will take confidence from their performance as they shift focus to the next crucial fixture against Reliance Foundation Young Champs.

A solid start. It’s time to now to build on it!