AIFF Media Team

VADODARA: Corbett FC beat Ambelim SC 6-5 and Golazo FC defeated FC Thyristor, Ramhlun Venglai 5-3 to reach the final of the AIFF Futsal Club Championship 2023-24 at the Swarnim Gujarat Sports University in the Vadodara district of Gujarat on Friday, July 5, 2024.

The final between Corbett FC and Golazo FC will take place on Sunday, July 7, 2024, at 7 pm IST. The match will be streamed live on the Indian Football YouTube Channel.

Corbett see off Ambelim's late charge

Corbett FC and Ambelim SC, both debutant teams had steamrolled past the previous two champions Delhi FC and Minerva Academy FC, respectively, in the quarter-finals, ushering in a new era in Indian futsal.

Just six minutes in, tournament top-scorer PC Lalruatsanga netted his 15th of the campaign to put Corbett ahead. Five minutes later, Mohammed Rizwan's side doubled their lead thanks to a brilliant solo goal from Pratik Swami, who left two green shirts behind with one slick touch before bombing forward and firing into the bottom corner. Swami turned provider for the third goal in the 19th minute as he served a square pass on a plate for Lalbiakzuala to sidefoot it in from close range.

But Ambelim took some hope going into half-time as they pulled one back just 12 seconds before the break. Velon Joazinho Rebello surged through the middle before laying it off for Savan Shamrao Lotlikar, who lodged a first-time shot into the corner.

However, Corbett wasted no time restoring their advantage, scoring within 40 seconds of the restart as Malsawmtluanga Pautu stuck his foot out to convert Lalbiakzuala's cross. It became a see-saw contest in the second half, and while Ambelim finally got some goals, they were unable to fix their leaky defence.

Michael Nevil Dias bundled in a loose ball to make it 4-2, but Clive Miranda's own goal two minutes later restored Corbett's three-goal advantage. In the 31st minute, Aaron Dcosta squeezed it into the bottom corner for Corbett, while Ronaldo Rosebud Pereira got Ambelim's third. From 6-2, the Goan side narrowed the deficit to 6-5 in the space of five minutes. Fredsan Marshall's rather harmless-looking shot went through the hands of Lhakpa Dorjee Bhutia before Dias poked in his second of the game. Corbett managed the last four minutes expertly, keeping Ambelim at bay and securing their final berth.

Golazo FC hustle past FC Thyristor

After a closely fought first half, Golazo outshined Thyristor in the second period to register a 5-3 win and join Corbett in the final. Joshuah Vaz's side made a lightning-quick start, taking the lead less than 10 seconds after kick-off as Stephen Satarkar slipped the ball between goalkeeper Jonathan Vanlalrinnunga. But that was soon cancelled out as Thyristor got a gift of an equaliser. K Roluahpuia intercepted Sachin Patil's pass right in front of the goalmouth and lashed it home.

And three minutes later, Roluahpuia had turned it around. Positioned just outside the D, he drove a fierce strike into the bottom corner to make it 2-1 for Thyristor. But the pendulum swung the other way as the half inched to a close. Clinton Rosario D'Souza set up Jayesh Sutar, who scored with a first-time shot to equalise in the 15th minute. Golazo then got a penalty in the 19th minute and although Vanlalrinnunga saved Sachin's effort, he could do nothing about Sutar on the rebound as he made it 3-2.

The first 10 minutes of the second half remained a close affair, with end-to-end action but no output. Finally, with some individual brilliance from Clinton, Golazo extended their lead in the 31st minute. The 26-year-old dribbled past Peter Lalrinhlua before skilfully finishing past Vanlalrinnunga. That would be game over as Thyristor ran out of steam, while Golazo didn't let their foot off the gas. Sachin made it 5-2 in the next minute, sweeping home a Sutar cutback.

When Lalawmpuia finished off a well-constructed team move from Thyristor to make it 5-3, it gave the Mizoram side a glimmer of hope with four minutes to go, but in the end, it proved too little too late as Golazo hung on for the victory and a place in the final.