Goa and Jamshedpur face off for golden ticket to Asia
Bhubaneswar: After 13 days of relentless action, 15 contenders have been reduced to two, come the final day of the Kalinga Super Cup 2025. The 2019 champions FC Goa will take on first-time finalists Jamshedpur FC in the summit clash on Saturday.
The winner of the match will also qualify for the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two Preliminary Round.
On one hand are FC Goa, aiming not only to become the first team to win this trophy twice but also to end their four-year absence from continental football. The Gaurs' sole campaign in Asia came in the 2021 AFC Champions League. On the other hand, Jamshedpur FC are in uncharted territory, ending a run of two semi-final losses in the Super Cup to reach their first-ever final in any competition in the club's eight-year history.
Having missed out on qualifying for the AFC Champions League after a play-off defeat in 2023, the Men of Steel now have another golden chance to earn their maiden ticket to Asia. 'For us, it's very important because it would be the first time that we qualify for an Asian competition, so we'll try to give our best,' said Jamshedpur FC head coach Khalid Jamil in the pre-match press conference on Friday His counterpart, FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez, said, 'When you have this opportunity (to qualify for Asia), obviously you have to be very motivated. FC Goa already played in the Champions League four years ago. Jamshedpur never did. But both teams would want to make it to this competition.' It would be the fourth meeting between FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC in the Super Cup, making it the joint most-played fixture in the tournament's history. If the past three matches, where a staggering 21 goals were scored, are anything to go by, one can definitely expect fireworks on Saturday as well. The final will be telecast live on Star Sports 3 and streamed on JioHotstar
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Time of India
Nick Cassidy on winning Round 11 race at Shanghai E-Prix: 'It feels like we've been waiting a long time'
Image credit: Formula E Nick Cassidy had secured third place on the podium in Monaco earlier this year, but he was still hungry for a win. The Jaguar TCS Racing driver finally got his moment of relief and joy as he clinched his first victory of the season in Race 2 of the Shanghai E-Prix. Starting from pole after an impressive performance in the rain-soaked qualifying session, Cassidy went on to win the rain-hit Round 11 race on Sunday. Nick Cassidy on his much-awaited win in Shanghai It was a much-awaited victory for Cassidy, who triumphed in the second race of the Shanghai double-header. As he crossed the finish line on the wet track at the Shanghai International Circuit, he exclaimed on the team radio, 'Wow, speechless. I was waiting for this day. It's been tough.' The New Zealander was seen laughing his heart out as he stepped onto the podium to celebrate the win. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ColorsTV (@colorstv) Speaking after the race, Nick Cassidy said, 'This weekend is a massive highlight. Really proud of all our guys. Qualifying from yesterday was huge for us, we were in the game, and I'm just proud that we've come back today and our pace was absolutely unbelievable — what a race. I feel like there have been so many wins that probably should have been ours at the end of last season that never happened, and it feels like we've been waiting a long time. That's certainly on your mind when you go through the last couple of laps, and now to get that monkey off the back is awesome.' Jaguar TCS Racing referred to Cassidy's win as a 'wet weather master-Cass' in an Instagram post. Fans celebrated his return to the top step of the podium, flooding the comments with messages of support and congratulations. One fan wrote, 'Brilliant race from Nick! Great to see him back on top!!' Another commented, 'Finally it happened Nick finally.' A third said, 'The better days did come!!! Well done Nick! Back on the top!' One more read: 'Yes Nick!!! Huge Congratulations!! Mega mega mega Drive! So well deserved!' Also Read: Shanghai E-Prix 2025 Round 11 results: Nick Cassidy wins, Porsche duo Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Da Costa take 2nd and 3rd spot As a result of his win, Cassidy now sits in seventh place in the Formula E Driver Standings with 58 points. With five races remaining in Season 11, he will be aiming for more success before the championship concludes.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Popovic wants win over 'best team in Asia' in quest for World Cup berth
June 1 - Australia coach Tony Popovic is eyeing victory over Japan on Thursday to not only boost his side's World Cup qualification hopes but further improve the Socceroos' prospects of becoming the strongest team in the Asian confederation. The Australians face Hajime Moriyasu's much-changed squad in Perth knowing a win would take them to the verge of securing a ticket for next year's 48-team finals in North America as runners-up in Group C behind the already-qualified Japanese. "A win is something that we're pushing towards," said Popovic, who led his team to a 1-1 draw when the sides last met in October. "We feel confident we can show an improved performance from what we did in Japan, albeit that was a very good one. "We'll have to be at our best to beat the best team in Asia. That's where we want to get to and to be the best we have to beat the best and they clearly are." The Japanese confirmed their ticket for the finals in March and, as a result, head coach Moriyasu has named a squad featuring eight uncapped players for the trip to Perth. While Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo and Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo have been included in the 27-player line, the Japanese are missing key players such as Kaoru Mitoma, Hidemasa Morita and Ayase Ueda. Australia go into the game in second place in the group, three points ahead of Saudi Arabia with two games remaining, although Popovic will be without goal-scoring midfielder Jackson Irvine, who is sidelined after foot surgery. "It's not their best squad, I wonder what that will look like because when we played them in Japan they had their starting 11 all playing in Europe," Popovic said. "We can see that they have a mixture of J-League players and European based players in their squad. We haven't beaten them often and I'm sure they'll be strong regardless of who they play."
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
India's strong run at Asian Athletics Championships: 24 medals, 8 golds, second place
The Women's 4X100 relay team bagged silver at the Asian Athletics Championships (Image via ANI) India wrapped up a memorable campaign at the Asian Athletics Championships, securing overall second place with a total of 24 medals in Gumi, South Korea on Saturday. Promising javelin thrower Sachin Yadav , steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary and the women's 4x100m relay team provided a 'silver' lining with strong performances on the final day of the continental meet. However, what would have pleased those following Indian athletics most on Saturday, was the sprint medal won by 21-year-old Animesh Kujur. Considered to be India's fastest man, Kujur ran a sensational race to break his own national record of 20.40s to take the bronze medal in the men's 200m event. He clocked an impressive 20.32s. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Pooja also made it to the podium in the women's 800m final, registering a personal best timing of 2:01.89s. Asian Games medallist Vithya Ramraj claimed the third spot in the women's 400m hurdles. India finished with eight gold, 10 silver and six bronze medals. China led the medal standings with a total of 32 medals, including 19 gold. India bettered its gold tally, moving up from six at the previous edition in 2023 and was one gold behind its best-ever – nine gold medals in the 2017 edition. Animesh creates history Kujur became only the second Indian man to win a 200m medal at the continental level. Dharambir Singh had won India's first medal in men's 200m, a bronze (20.45s) at the 2015 Asian championships. 'I'll always cherish this medal. To win even a bronze at the Asian level is huge, so I am very happy. Good curve running enabled me to earn a medal,' Kujur said. Japan's Towa Uzawa claimed the gold (20.12s) and Saudi Arabia's Abdulaziz Abdul Atafi took silver (20.31s). IPL 2025 Winner Prediction: What Greenstone Lobo's Astrology says Martin Owens, Kujur's coach at Odisha Reliance Foundation, had said on Friday that he just wanted his ward 'to step off that track with no regrets'. There was just immense happiness at the end of it all. And it just the beginning for this young sprinter. Sachin shines on debut With his massive frame, standing at 6' 5', Uttar Pradesh's Sachin Yadav made an impressive senior debut at the international level, winning a sensational silver with a personal best throw of 85.16m in the men's javelin throw final. Hailing from Khekra village in Baghpat, Sachin had a previous PB of 84.39m. As expected, reigning Olympic champion, Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won gold with a best effort of 86.40m. Nadeem had won gold at the Paris Games last year with an Olympic record of 92.97m. Another Indian in the fray, Yashvir Singh, impressed with a personal best throw of 82.57m to finish fifth. 'I wasn't worried about competing against a big name like Nadeem. I was looking to achieve my personal best and throw the spear as far as possible. The conditions were tricky, and the wind factor played its part. Poll Which athlete's performance impressed you the most at the Asian Athletics Championships? Animesh Kujur Sachin Yadav Parul Chaudhary Women's 4x100m relay team 'I missed vital training sessions due to ankle and shoulder niggles which hampered my preparation for the meet,' Sachin later said. Back-to-back silver for Parul In the women's 5,000m, Parul Chaudhary won a silver in a national record timing of 15:15.33s. She had previously finished second in the 3,000m steeplechase. In the final, Parul was slow off the blocks and lay third at the end of the first lap. She picked up the pace to surge past her rivals and then overtook Japan's eventual bronze medallist Yuma Yamamoto (15:16.86s) in the final lap to finish on a strong note. Kazakhstan's Norah Jeruto Tanui claimed gold (14:58.71s). Women's 4x100m relay team on podium The Indian quartet of Srabani Nanda, Abhinaya Rajarajan, Sneha SS and Nithya Gandhe started off strongly in the third lane, closer to the inside track. India always looked in contention for a medal finish, though China proved a tough competitor. The team clocked 43.86 behind China, who completed the relay in 43.28. Thailand settled for bronze in 44.26. Pooja, Vithya settle for bronze In the women's 800m final, Pooja claimed bronze with a personal best timing of 2:01.89s. She ran the race in lane five. Her teammate, Twinkle Chaudhary – in lane seven – challenged her teammate for the third-place finish but had to contend with a fourth position. In the women's 400m hurdles, Vithya Ramraj clocked 56.46s to finish with a bronze, behind China's Mo Jiadie, who clinched gold in 55.31s, edging out Bahrain's Oluwakemi Adekoya.
