Hindustan Zinc’s Zinc Football Academy has produced one of the top young talents in the country. The Zawar-based Academy’s goalkeeper Sahil Poonia has come out as one of the top performing Indian players in the recently concluded AFC Under-17 Asian Cup in Thailand.
Sahil made a handful of excellent saves apart from a crucial penalty save in the dramatic 4-8 defeat to Asian footballing giants Japan in the final group stage match. Sahil was on his toes against Vietnam and Uzbekistan too, making decisive saves during important moments. India drew 1-1 versus Vietnam while narrowly lost to Uzbekistan 0-1.
Sahil Poonia made his international debut for India at the SAFF Under-16 Championship in Sri Lanka last year where the now 17-year-old Sahil won the Best Goalkeeper award. Then Sahil played a major role in helping India qualify for the AFC Asian Cup. He went on to play several international friendly matches in Dubai, Spain and Germany.
Sharing his experience, goalkeeper Sahil Poonia commented: “It’s an honour to represent my country in such coveted tournaments. What an incredible experience! I will keep working hard to retain my place and hopefully play for the senior team soon. All this would not have been possible without the support of my family and Zinc Football Academy. I will always be grateful.”
Sahil Poonia was scouted by national scouts during Zinc Football Academy’s exposure tour to Goa in April 2022.
