Norwich City held to draw, Punjab FC triumph over SESA in DSC Football 2025 National Finals

New Delhi [India], April 8 (ANI): Norwich City FC settled for a 2-2 draw against Guwahati's Football 4 Change to end an entertaining Day 1 of the Dream Sports Championship Football 2025 national finals on Tuesday. In the second evening fixture of the U-17 tournament, Punjab FC overcame SESA FA 3-1, led by star striker Vishal Yadav's brace.
The match between NCFC and Football 4 Change saw an early goal when Kishore Tiwari put F4C ahead in the 18th minute. However, Norwich's response was swift, with Benjamin Assongo equalizing just two minutes later via a penalty kick. Joseph Kipa then completed the turnaround for NCFC in the 24th minute, giving them a 2-1 advantage heading into halftime. F4C fought back in the second half and were rewarded when Gogou Kuki found the net from the penalty spot in the 68th minute to level the scores, a release said.
In the Punjab FC clash against Goa's SESA FA, Sameer broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute. SESA responded just before the break when Suraj Thapa equalized three minutes into first-half stoppage time. The second half belonged to Vishal, who also recently made his ISL debut for the senior team after shining in the DSC Football 2025 Delhi Regional rounds. He took control of the match with two well-taken goals in the 52nd and 62nd minutes, completing a 3-1 victory for his side.
Earlier in the day, Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Chennaiyin FC also began their campaigns with victories, both recording 2-0 wins against RFYC and Dempo SC, respectively. MBSG took a 1-0 lead over the Reliance Foundation Young Champs in the 39th minute after Monu Rajbanshi got his name on the score sheet. Thangngaisang Haokip then made it 2-0 in the 90th minute to seal a comfortable win for his side.

Chennaiyin FC displayed complete control against Dempo SC in the day's second morning fixture, after Muhammed Sahir broke the deadlock with a goal in the 47th minute. Abinash Singh then stretched the lead to 2-0 in the 87th minute to hand Chennaiyin FC a winning start.
Schedule for Day 2 of the DSC Football 2025 Girls National Finals:
Benaulim
8:30 - Assam FA vs Karnataka State FA
5:30 - Kerala FA vs Delhi SA
Utorda
8:30 - Jharkhand FA vs Goa FA
5:30 - Rajasthan FA vs Odisha FA. (ANI)