RFDL National: Big battles as football’s new stars vie for title in final-four showdown 

Mumbai, May 13 (IANS) The National Championship of the elite U-21 youth tournament, the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) will start on Tuesday with four teams vying for the title in the clash of big fours.  Defending champions Bengaluru FC, Muthoot FA, East Bengal FC, and Punjab FC will be competing across two semifinals for a berth in the summit clash of the third season of the competition that will be held on Saturday (May 18) at the Reliance Corporate Park (RCP) in Mumbai.  

RFDL 2023-24 saw the participation of 57 teams from across the country that battled it through the Regional Qualifiers held in eight regions and then the National Group Stage that took place in four venues to qualify for the final round of the competition.

The Blues are chasing their third straight title, and it is the first time that Muthoot FA, East Bengal FC, and Punjab FC have made it to the National Championship of the elite U-21 youth tournament.

Bengaluru FC topped the South Zone Regional Qualifiers table by securing 22 points from 10 matches with the help of seven victories and a solitary draw, ahead of the second-placed Roots FC by a good three points.

They were again placed atop Group A in the National Group Stage in Mumbai, winning thrice and drawing once in their four games to accumulate 10 points and edge past the second-placed Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) to book a berth in the National Championship.

Punjab FC are coached by their senior team assistant coach Sankarlal Chakraborty. They eased past the Regional Qualifiers in the North Zone by winning nine out of their 10 group stage fixtures. They were pitted in Group D in the National Group Stage and secured 10 points from their four matches held at the Dhuler Football Stadium in Goa.

Muthoot FA have been one of the biggest success stories of RFDL 2024. In the Regional Qualifiers, they overtook Kerala Blasters FC and Gokulam Kerala FC to sit in first place in the Kerala Zone with 24 points from 10 games. Then, they competed in the National Group Stage in Kozhikode in Group B to take 10 points from four games and make it to the National Championship.

East Bengal FC were the standout performers in the Kolkata Zone Regional Qualifiers, bagging 18 points from 10 matches. The National Group Stage saw them earning nine points from four encounters.

The Red & Gold Brigade kept eight clean sheets in 14 games so far, netting 22 times and conceding only 14 strikes. They will be hoping to overcome Muthoot FA in the semi-final tomorrow to find a spot in the final in pursuit of their maiden RFDL championship.

--IANS

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