Kozhikode will face the final hurdle in their title defence at the Kerala State Sub-junior (under-14) Football Championship 2011, as they meet traditional super power Malappuram in the final on Sunday. Kozhikode and Malappuram overcame Thrissur and Ernakulam in tight competitions respectively on Saturday.
Kozhikode defeated Thrissur in the first semi final, with the help of some luck in the sudden death. Both teams played out a 0-0 draw at the end of 60 minutes of play. Both the sides did not give up easily in the penalty shootouts which was eventually won by Kozhikode by a scoreline of 9-8. Kozhikode will be looking forward to a back-to-back crown in sub-junior level after winning the tournament last year.
Malappuram also had to take the game into penalties to score the win against Ernakulam. Ernakulam played out a well organised defensive game against a Malappuram side who have been scoring for fun so far in the tournament. Their defence did well to silence Malappuram's top scorer Sajith Khan. Malappuram went on to win the shoot out 4-2 and book their spot in the final.
The final will take place at the Infantry Battalion Ground, Kannur at 04:00 PM IST on Sunday.
Photo Courtesy: Mathrubhumi Daily
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Sunday 1 January 2012, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.