Chandigarh qualify for the Santosh Trophy Final Phase after 19 years

The latest sensation of Northern Football has ticked all the right boxes with not only bringing a change in the game but also making a difference for their local state senior team. The majority of the Minerva players have formed the core of the Chandigarh state team for the upcoming Senior National of the prestigious Santosh Trophy 2017 football tournament.

The team was grouped with Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.

The boys from Chandigarh turned heads in their very first encounter when they trashed home team Himachal Pradesh 4-1 with Minerva player Girik Khosla scoring a brace and Amandeep Singh adding on to the numbers and former Minerva player Jitender doing the final honors.

The next hurdle too was calmly brushed aside when the young lads edged past Delhi with a narrow 1-0 win, as Amandeep was again on the scoresheet from a lovely assist from teammate Girik Khosla. The underdogs of the group were now one of the favorites for the final round.

The 19-year wait was finally over 31th December when Chandigarh blanked out Uttar Pradesh 2-0 to top the group with an unbeaten record and conceding only a single goal in the process, with star striker Girik Khosla and defender Gagandeep Singh sealing the game in the first half itself.

Chandigarh had last qualified for the final round way back in 1998 and many consider Minerva's inception might make the state a powerhouse in the domestic football circuit in the upcoming years.