The hosts went back to fielding their first team – with the likes of Himanshu Jangra, Kuntal Pakhira, and Charles Tongram all coming back into the side.
Minerva Academy made a bright start to the game, with four attempts on goal in the first ten minutes. The most notable one came in the 6th minute as Kuntal Pakhira released Himanshu Jangra wih a perfectly weighted through ball, and Jangra’s effort went just over the crossbar. Then, in the 24th minute, Jangra was in the thick of the action again as his curling strike almost opened the scoring, but the goalkeeper made a stunning save to keep it out.
Minerva Academy were dominant throughout the first half, and they almost had something to show for it in first-half stoppage time, when Sanjeet’s cross was met by Jangra, but the 16-year old put it wide.
Minerva Academy registered 12 shots on target in the first half, but it remained 0-0 at half-time.
In the second half, it was TASM who had their best chance of the game in the 59th minute, but Charles made a fantastic save to keep the opposition at bay.
The half wore on in a similar fashion as the first, where Minerva Academy were the better side but weren’t able to take off their chances. However, that changed in injury time, as Kuntal and Jangra combined yet again. Kuntal’s through ball was met by Jangra, whose shot was parried away by the goalkeeper. But the rebound fell to Sadananda Singh, who stabbed it in from close range to make it 1-0.
Minerva Academy got their well-deserved victory and qualified for the semifinals of the Punjab U-21 Youth League. They face Jagat Singh Palahi Football Academy in the semifinal on Tuesday, February 16.