Anil Negi
Dehradun: Garhwal Heroes (New Delhi) won the KM Cariappa Football Tournament in Tehri on Monday, defeating 14 Garhwal Rifles 2-1 in the final. Earlier, Garhwal Heroes had defeated ITMT Meerut by a single goal to reach the final.
This proved to be a memorable victory for the Garhwal Heroes, as they entered the tournament with a young team. Most of the players were from the U-17 academy team. The team was short of players, as some had returned to play in Delhi and two players were injured. In fact, the Garhwal Heroes had only twelve players, with two injured players on the bench. Despite this, the team managed to win the tournament.
The Garhwal Heroes will never forget this tournament, as they won it despite the absence of their senior players and despite facing many difficulties. Garhwal Heroes manager Magan Patwal said, “Our young team played good football. If we hadn’t missed several easy chances, we would have won by a bigger margin.”
In the second semifinal, 14 Garhwal Rifles defeated 7 Garhwal Rifles 4-1 to advance to the final. The winning team received a cash prize of ₹1.5 lakh. Walkman of Garhwal Heroes was named the best player of the tournament.
