CHENNAI, Apr 7: Haryana City FC was on Sunday crowned national champion in the Road To Old Trafford 5-a-side football competition, organised by English football club Manchester United, with a win over Gunners from Bengaluru.
The second edition of the event saw over 100 clubs from across the nation take part, with Haryana prevailing against Gunners FC from Bengaluru in a nail-biting penalty shootout in the finale.
The game was locked at 1-1 at the end of the regulation time, while Haryana maintained its composure during the shootout and eventually walked away with a 3-2 margin.
Haryana City FC now has a chance to play on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, the legendary home ground of United. The Delhi-based club will play there to determine the tournament’s ‘Global Winner’ on May 31.
Following the triumph, Haryana skipper Pranav Sharma said, “Honestly, it hasn’t sunk in yet! We were pretty confident of ourselves right from the qualifying round but to compete against some of the best 5-a-side football teams in India and winning the national finals of the Road To Old Trafford tournament is really exciting.
“We can’t wait to go to Manchester and play at the historic turf at Old Trafford; it will be a great experience, a huge honour.”
The previous edition was won by Mumbai’s Kalina Rangers, who were also the champions of the India leg. (PTI)
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