Shillong: Tlangnuam FC made history on Sunday. The Mizoram club smashed Progressive Sports Academy 9-5 to win the AIFF Futsal Club Championship in Bhavnagar. They are the first team from the Northeast to lift the trophy.
The match was tight early on. Tlangnuam held a 3-2 lead at the break but exploded in the second half. Lalremtluanga, Lalsangkima, and David Laltlansanga each buried two goals. Kiran Chhetri, PC Lalremruata, and K. Roluahpuia added the rest to secure the win for coach Joshuah Vaz.
The champions dominated the field throughout the tournament. They hammered FC Bushahr 14-2 and crushed Coramandal FC 13-1 in the group stage. They also set a tournament record by thrashing Young Hearts FC 23-0 in the quarterfinals. After a 10-4 semifinal win against defending champions Goal Hunterz, they proved unstoppable.
Individual honors went around too. Tlangnuam keeper Malhar Shah took home the Best Goalkeeper award. Progressive Sports Academy walked away with the Fair Play Award. Their star Nikhil Mali finished as the top scorer with 13 goals, and teammate Lalsawmpuia earned the title of "Best Player" for his efforts.
Thirteen teams competed in this fifth edition of the national championship. Meghalaya sat out this year. The state currently lacks an active futsal league to field a competitive side.
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