LOSA Lions Win Sharad Chandra Dhulia Memorial Football Championship Trophy
LOSA Lions Win Match 5-4 in Penalty Shootout
The Sunday Mail
Lansdowne | The inaugural Sharad Chandra Dhulia Memorial Football Tournament—organized at the Garhwal Rifles’ Dias Stadium with the objective of fostering an atmosphere of mutual coordination and harmony between the civilian population and the Army—has been won by the Lansdowne Old Students Association (LOSA) Lions team.
In a friendly match held between the civilian side and the Army at the Dias Stadium—organized by the Karmabhumi Foundation in collaboration with the Army—the LOSA Lions secured a 5-4 victory over the Garhwal Rifles team in a penalty shootout. The winning team celebrated their triumph by holding a victory procession through the town, proudly displaying the trophy. The match was inaugurated by the Commandant of the Garhwal Rifles, Brigadier Vinod Singh Negi, along with Atul Bhatt and Dr. S.P. Naithani of the Karmabhumi Foundation, who formally introduced themselves to the players. In the 22nd minute of the first half, Bobby Thapa of the Garhwal Rifles team took the lead by scoring a goal. In the 32nd minute of the match, Sahil of the LOSA Lions scored a magnificent goal for his team, bringing the score level. The second half of the match proved to be extremely thrilling. Both teams spared no effort in launching attacks against one another. In the 15th minute of the second half, Garhwal Rifles player Vishnu Das scored a magnificent goal, giving his team a 2–1 lead. However, their joy was short-lived; 20 minutes before the end of regulation time, Ajay Kandari of LOSA scored a superb goal, bringing his team level with their opponents.
Both teams had several opportunities to score, but due to the astute defensive play of both sides, these chances failed to materialize into goals.
The match remained tied at the end of regulation time. Both teams delivered a splendid performance. Ultimately, the outcome of the match was decided via a penalty shootout. LOSA Lions won the match 5–4, scoring 5 goals against Garhwal Rifles’ 4. The Garhwal Rifles team in this friendly match was led by Commandant Brigadier Vinod Singh Negi. The team comprised military officers, Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), and Agniveers.
On this occasion, Brigadier Vinod Singh Negi (VSM), along with Rekha Negi—President of the Family Welfare Organization—and Center SM Nand Kishore, honored the winning team by presenting them with a trophy, and awarded individual medals to the players of both the winning and runner-up teams. Commandant Negi also presented a regimental memento to Atul Bhatt, President of the Karmabhoomi Foundation and the District Sports Association.
Prominent figures present at the event included Team Coordinator and Football Coach Siddharth Rawat, LOSA President Dr. S.P. Naithani, Treasurer Rajiv Barthwal, Joint Secretary Bhavna Verma, Pramod Verma, Mukesh Mishra, Mahipal Rawat, Mohan Naithani, Kuldeep Kumar, Ankit Verma, and Prachi Verma, among others.
