Pune: Even heavy rain failed to dampen their spirit and energy as All Stars FC defeated VTP XI 3-0 to win the Sakal Superstar Cup which was played at the Balewadi Sports Complex Stadium here on Saturday.
Seen in action in All Stars FC were Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Dino Morea, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Karan Wahi, Leander Paes and others. VTP XI consisted of Pune players.
This match, organised by Sakal, was to raise funds for various social causes.
The match started with both the teams dominating the show as they enjoyed equal ball possession.
All Stars came close to scoring in the 6th minute when Ranbir Kapoor,who was in the box, shot from close range but the ball was saved by the goal keeper of VTP XI.
Pulling up their socks, VTP XI tried to build up pressure and tried their best to take the lead. They came close to
scoring in the 11th minute but the ball just went wide of the goalpost.
All Stars missed another opportunity in the 16th minute when captain Abhishek Bachchan’s shot almost looked close but went just above the goal post.
There were a lot of hits and misses from both the sides as the teams looked eager to open the goal tally.
Finally in the 43rd minute, All Stars FC took the lead when Aadhar Jain’s shot made it to the nets sending the team and crowd cheering for more. The score at half time read 1-0 in favour of All Stars FC.
In the second half, All Stars began on an attacking mode as Leander Paes came close to scoring in the 58th minute. Some good defence by the Pune team helped keep the ball at bay.
Armaan Jain from All Stars FC scored the second goal in the 72nd minute thus strengthening the positon of his team.
A few minutes later, Leander Paes scored the third goal in the 77th minute to seal the deal for All Stars FC with the score reading 3-0 in their favour.
All Stars captain Abhishek Bachchan was one happy man at the end of the day. Speaking to Sakal Times, Bachchan said “The match was a great one. I am very happy with the performance of the team. I think it is fair to say that the opposite team was superior to us. The quality of football played was very good.”
“In the end somebody is going to win and somebody is going to loose. 3-0 is a good result. The boys
really came together and played with all their heart. You need to understand that these are all actors and not footballers,” Bachchan added.
