ZANSKAR AND SATPURA BATTLE IT OUT FOR THE TITLE

It was a match that pitted one of the favorites for the IIT football league title, against a team languishing near the bottom of the table. And the result was nothing less than expected. On Monday evening in cold weather with fog developing, Zanskar hostel took on Satpura hostel in the IIT football league and Zanskar came out on the top with a facile 2-0 victory. A lot was at stake for both the teams with Zanskar looking to maintain their title credentials and Satpura desperate to climb out of the bottom three. But in the end a goal in each half from the two strikers was enough for Zanskar to see off the challenge of Satpura. The captain of the Zanskar football team, Shubham Sandeep said, “It was a tough game as the conditions were quite difficult and Satpura had a defensive mindset. So we had to be patient and wait for the opportune moment.” Zanskar opened the scoring 5 minutes before the stroke of halftime after missing a host of chances including 3 ‘one on one’s. Sudhir Garewal, the coach of Satpura team was visibly disappointed, “The goal just before the halftime was a killer blow. I thought we were doing doing well defensively though upfront we lacked the cutting edge with our main striker out due to injury.” The match was watched by supporters of both the teams who braved the cold and were vociferous till the final whistle. Mr. Negi who is the Head of Sports, IIT Delhi summed it up appropriately, “ These tournaments are not just for pleasure but they help inculcate a sense of hostel spirit and are a breeding ground for the Institiute teams.”