New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, Delhi Public School, Vasant Vihar, St. Francis De Sales Senior Secondary School, Step by Step School, Noida, Mother’s International School, Delhi, Mount Carmel School, Dwarka and G.D. Goenka School, Dwarka registered impressive victories to book their places in the quarterfinals of the Oriental Cup 2026 at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.

After three rain-affected days, bright sunshine finally greeted the young footballers on Day 4 of the tournament, providing improved playing conditions for an action-packed Round of 16 in the Boys’ category on Friday, providing the contenders an opportunity to fix their places in the quarterfinal, making the most of the pleasant weather.

Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram made a winning start to Day 4 with a 3-1 victory over Navy Children School in the Boys’ category. Abhav Bhardwaj starred with a superb hat-trick, opening the scoring in the 20th minute before adding two more goals in the 31st and 37th minutes. Yash Banyal pulled one back for Navy Children School in the 35th minute, but DPS R.K. Puram remained firmly in control to seal a convincing win.

Delhi Public School, Vasant Vihar, produced a dominant display to defeat Sanskriti School 5-0 in the second match of the day. Abhyuday Singh led the charge with a brilliant hat-trick, opening the scoring in the sixth minute before adding further goals in the 26th and 39th minutes. Ishan Pandey found the net in the 18th minute, while Idaant Trivedi added another in the 24th minute as DPS Vasant Vihar cruised into the quarterfinals in commanding fashion.

St. Francis De Sales Senior Secondary School continued their impressive run with a convincing 3-0 victory over Tagore International School in the third match of the day. Jonah Stephen Talreja starred with a brace, scoring in the fifth and 21st minutes, before Hirom Perryn wrapped up the victory with a goal in the 40th minute to send his side into the last eight.

Step by Step School, Noida, progressed to the quarterfinals after overcoming The Air Force School, Subroto Park, in a penalty shootout following a closely fought 1-1 draw in regulation time. Vansh Gulati handed Step by Step School an early lead in the fourth minute, but Arnab Kashyap restored parity for The Air Force School in the 10th minute. Neither side could find the winner despite several opportunities thereafter, taking the contest to penalties, where Step by Step School held their nerve to secure a 3-1 shootout victory.

Mother’s International School, Delhi, edged past DAV Public School, Faridabad, 1-0 in the fifth match of the day to secure their place in the quarterfinals. Dhruv Tuli scored the decisive goal in the 29th minute, with his second-half strike proving enough to earn his side a hard-fought victory.

The penultimate fixture of Day 4 produced another dramatic finish as Mount Carmel School, Dwarka, defeated New Green Fields School 8-7 in a marathon penalty shootout after both teams played out a goalless draw in regulation time. Despite creating several scoring opportunities across both halves, neither side could break the deadlock. The ensuing shootout turned into a gripping contest before Mount Carmel School eventually emerged victorious by the narrowest of margins to book their place in the quarterfinals.

G.D. Goenka School, Dwarka, concluded Day 4 with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Vinay Nagar Bangali Senior Secondary School in the Boys’ category. Kaartikya Kashyap Chugh scored once in each half, opening the scoring in the 12th minute before adding his second in the 28th minute to complete a composed performance and send G.D. Goenka School into the quarterfinals.

The Oriental Cup 2026 will now take a two-day break over the weekend before the action resumes on Monday (July 13), with the quarterfinals set to get underway. The fourth edition, being held from July 7 to July 16 at Dr. Ambedkar Stadium, is expected to feature over 1,500 student-athletes representing more than 45 teams from across Delhi-NCR. The tournament features a more than doubled prize pool and a ₹2.5 lakh scholarship programme for 10 deserving student-athletes.

Results (Day 4):

Boys’ Category

Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram 3-1 Navy Children School

Delhi Public School, Vasant Vihar 5-0 Sanskriti School

St. Francis De Sales Senior Secondary School 3-0 Tagore International School

Step by Step School, Noida 1 (2)-1 (0) The Air Force School, Subroto Park

Mother’s International School, Delhi 1-0 DAV Public School, Faridabad

Mount Carmel School, Dwarka 0(8) – 0(7) New Green Fields School

G.D. Goenka School, Dwarka 2-0 Vinay Nagar Bengali School

–IANS

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