Dharamshala, June 11 – Dhondupling football club of Clement Town has won the 12th Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Gold Cup football tournament which began on 2 June. Clement Town won the game against Bir/Chauntra United who reached the final as Darjeeling Snow Lion Club withdrew from the contest and gave them a walkover. The match was played amid tight police security.
The final match which did not seem like one ended 6-0 in Clement Town’s favour. The Clement town fans told phayul that the win was anticipated but not with such a huge margin. Clement Town got their first goal through a mistake from the Bir goalkeeper who misjudged a bouncing ball which found the net. Minutes later, Clement Town’s striker who is said to be 17 years old, found himself in a one on one situation with the goal keeper and easily placed the ball on the right corner of the goal to increase his team’s lead by 2 goals.
Two more goals were scored by Clement Town before half time and the Clement Town fans have already put themselves in a jubilating mood. Many believed that if a score like this at half time would give Bir a comeback in the game, there is only one word to describe it,”miracle”.
But this was not to be as Bir conceded two more goals before the final whistle blew. The winning captain Gonpo, who displayed true captaincy by scoring two goals, said that his team played one of their finest games so far in the tournament and that it was truly a team effort which brought all those smiles on the faces of his players and supporters.
Many spectators seem bored to watch the final game as the game was too one sided, and many believed that the final would have turned totally different if Darjeeling had remained in the game. For most of the football lovers here, the match played between Establishment 22 and Darjeeling had all the characteristics of a final match. “I had already watched the final of this tournament between Establishment 22 and Darjeeling, there was no cup to fight for but it was a classic match and everyone thinks so,” said Lobsang, a monk from South India who had not missed a single match of the tournament except the one between Darjeeling and Bir/Chauntra United which was infect not played. “Everyone missed that match”, Lobsang says justifying his claim of having watched all the 17 matches.
