Chennaiyin FC under-12 team beats Borussia Dortmund’s youth team

Hyderabad: The U-12 team of Chennaiyin FC beat Borussia Dortmund’s youth team 4-2 at the Norwich City Mina Cup UK.

Chennaiyin FC is the only Indian team participating in the Norwich City Mina Cup, which was played over the weekend at Norwich City FC’s state-of-the-art training facility in England.

Nepolian Laikhuram scored all four goals for Chennaiyin FC. The Manipur-born forward finished the tournament as Chennaiyin FC’s highest goal scorer with six goals. Rohit Tenshubham and Hitaansh Dipesh were Chennaiyin FC’s other goal scorers in the Mina Cup.

Chennaiyin FC qualified for the Silver Cup after a close group stage phase where they lost to Inter Milan (0-1) and Liverpool (0-2).

In the Silver Cup classification, Chennaiyin FC beat Bermuda FA 2-0 group stage before defeating Borussia Dortmund 4-2 and again Bermuda FA 2-0 in the placement matches.

The matches and the tournament were a good exposure for the Chennaiyin FC’s age-group players who will return richer with experience.

Speaking about the opportunity the Chennaiyin FC age-group players got, Chennaiyin FC’s vice president Ekansh Gupta said the tournament has given sneak-peek into the potential of Indian football. “We are thrilled with the grit and determination of our young stars at the Norwich City Mina Cup UK. There were losses but they took them well, and then a win against Borussia Dortmund on day two! It truly highlighted the potential of Indian football on an international stage. The tournament was an incredible development opportunity for our players. We thank our partners Norwich City FC for this invaluable experience and look forward to continuing this association,” Gupta said in a club statement.

In the Indian Super League, Chennayin FC are currently in the eighth position, in the 13-team league. Chennaiyin have played three matches, won one, lost one and drew one and have four points in their kitty.

Bengaluru FC, Punjab FC and Jamshedpur FC lead the standings as the top-three teams in the early stages of the league.