New Delhi, July 23 (IANS) Despite a delayed start due to heavy morning showers, Day 3 of the Oriental Cup 2025 delivered thrilling action at the Dr. Ambedkar Stadium here on Wednesday, as St. Francis De Sales Senior Secondary School, Janakpuri stamped their authority in both the boys’ and girls’ categories with clinical victories.

The boys’ teams of The Mother’s International School and Amity International (Noida) booked their place in the next round with penalty shootout wins, while Heritage Global School and New Green Field School also registered hard-fought victories in the boys’ category. Both Group A girls’ fixtures ended in stalemates, adding an element of unpredictability to the standings.

St. Francis Girls, under coach Nitin, began the day with a confident 2–0 win over Navy Children School, with Jiya Verma netting both goals. Their boys’ team followed suit with a narrow 1–0 win over DAV Faridabad, thanks to a composed goal from Yuvraj Marwah.

The boys from New Green Field School, Saket, coached by Rohit Yadav, edged past Venkateshwar International School in a penalty shootout, winning 3–1 after a goalless draw in regulation time.

In another close contest in the boys’ category, Heritage Global School, Faridabad, under the guidance of coach Gaurav Gandhi, secured a 1–0 victory over Gov. Sarvodaya Co-ed Vidyalaya, Shahpur Jaat. Javed Akhtar scored the decisive goal for Heritage.

Second-round fixtures in the boys’ category brought more drama. The Mother’s International School, coached by Sachin Rawat, advanced to the next round after a nail-biting encounter against Sanskriti School. The match ended 1–1 in regular time, with goals from Daivik Bejgotra (MIS) and Mannan Machhan (Sanskriti). MIS held their nerve in the shootout, with Amogh Shandilya and Dhruv Tuli converting from the spot to seal a 2–0 win on penalties.

In another knockout clash, Amity International School (Noida), coached by Utkarsh Tyagi, defeated The Air Force School, Subroto Park, in penalties. The regular time ended 1–1, with Arnav Kumar scoring for Amity and Aarav Bagga for Air Force. In the shootout, Arnav Kumar and Avigya Kunwar converted their spot-kicks to send Amity into the next round.

In the girls’ Group A fixtures, both matches ended in goalless draws. Defending champions Sanskriti School and The Mother’s International School failed to break the deadlock in a tight encounter. Similarly, Amity International (Noida) and Tagore International School (Girls) shared points after a balanced 0–0 finish. All four teams collected a point each as the group stage battle intensifies.

Day 4 promises another action-packed schedule with seven matches lined up, including second-round encounters in the boys’ category and crucial group stage fixtures in the girls’ draw.

Recognised by the Delhi Soccer Association for its growing contribution to grassroots football, the Oriental Cup is steadily evolving into a meaningful platform where school teams experience structured, competitive play in a professional setting.

With support from Oriental Structural Engineers Pvt.Ltd as the title sponsor, alongside Central Park Estates as an associate sponsor, Ocean Beverages as the hydration partner, and Nivia Sports as the football partner, the tournament continues to expand in both scale and significance, cementing its place in Delhi’s school sports calendar.

Results (Day 3):

Boys’ category

First round: St. Francis De Sales Sr. Sec. School (Janakpuri) 1–0 DAV Faridabad; New Green Field School (Saket) 0 (3) – 0 (1) Venkateshwar International School; Heritage Global School (Faridabad) 1–0 Govt. Sarvodaya Co-ed Vidyalaya (Shahpur Jaat)

Second round: The Mother’s International School 1 (2) – 1 (0) Sanskriti School; Amity International School (Noida) 1 (2) – 1 (0) The Air Force School (Subroto Park)

Girls’ category:

St. Francis De Sales Sr. Sec. School (Janakpuri) 2–0 Navy Children School

Group A: Sanskriti School 0–0 The Mother’s International School; Amity International (Noida) 0–0 Tagore International School.

–IANS

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