The Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) is set to find a new champion as East Bengal locks horns with Punjab FC in the final of the National Championship in Mumbai on Saturday.
Punjab FC cruised to the summit clash after winning its last-four match against Bengaluru FC 4-2 on penalties while the Red & Gold Brigade engaged in a high-octane 3-3 draw against Muthoot FA in the second sem-final, before going on to beat them by 4-3 in the shootout.
Punjab has remained unbeaten across 14 matches in RFDL 2023-24 so far, dominating the North Zone Regional Qualifiers – securing 28 points from 10 games – scoring 33 goals and conceding only seven in the opening round of the competition.
“Our semifinal against Bengaluru FC was a great game since they were also the defending champions of RFDL,” Punjab FC coach Sankarlal Chakraborty said before the summit clash.
“We created several goal-scoring chances, which is a good trait, but we ended up missing quite a few of them too, which is something that we would like to address in the final against East Bengal FC. We are hopeful of bringing the RFDL trophy home.”
East Bengal, on the other hand, encountered tough competition in the Regional Qualifiers in the East Region.
It won five games and drew thrice to garner 18 points from 10 matches. In the National Group Stage, it notched nine points from four clashes, surpassing the second-placed Home Missions FC by two points (7). East Bengal FC has kept eight clean sheets and scored 25 goals in 15 games so far and its lethal frontline has the potential to punish any opponent.
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“We have watched Punjab FC and their tactics. But irrespective of the opponents, we have come here to obtain our objectives. My philosophy is to constantly keep learning and rectify from our mistakes from the previous match, and help my players scale to the highest possible levels, i.e. wear the senior team jersey of East Bengal FC and also represent the national team one day,” East Bengal FC coach Bino George mentioned before the final.
“We conceded two early goals in the last match. I appreciate their attitude to spark a comeback after that, but we need to be conscious of not getting into such positions in big matches.”
The match is scheduled for a 6 pm kick-off and will be played at the Reliance Corporate Park.
2024-05-17 17:54:56
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