Avyaan Negi

Independence Day Cup · U-9 · 2026–27

Four games, four wins — 12 goals on Independence Day.

ChampionsU-912 goals · 7 assists5-a-side

An Independence Day one-day cup, run by Decathlon on Bannerghatta Road. Vicky FA Reds went through it unbeaten — 9–0, 6–0, a 6–1 semi-final, and a 7–2 final — scoring 28 and conceding 3. It was Avyaan’s biggest single-day return on record: 12 goals and 7 assists on the way to the title.

Tournament snapshot
Tournament
Independence Day Cup
Organizer
Decathlon
Season
2026–27
Edition
Format
5-a-side
Surface
Turf
Venue
Decathlon, Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru
Location
Gottigere, Bengaluru, Karnataka
Start date
15 Aug 2026
End date
15 Aug 2026

On the recordTwelve goals and seven recorded assists across the four wins — he scored in every game and set up team-mates in all but the final, as the Reds racked up 28 goals and conceded just 3.

The squad
AvyaanForward · Winger
ArushForward · Goalkeeper
GauravDefender
HrishiForward
Mokshit
Rithvik
Yuvhan
Coaches
Anwar HussainHead Coach
Yaishu ChotheAssistant Coach
Participating teams

Who else was there.

Who they played

On the listThis is the sides his team actually played, from the match record — the full tournament field fills in as it’s shared.

Match record
FinalWin
72vs All Stars FA
15 Aug 2026
4 goals0 assists

The final — a 7–2 win, and four goals for Avyaan. Champions.

Match report
Semi FinalWin
61vs Photons FC Green
15 Aug 2026
3 goals2 assists

A 6–1 semi-final — three goals and two assists.

Match report
LeagueWin
60vs Photons FC Blue
15 Aug 2026
4 goals2 assists

His best of the day — four goals and two assists in a 6–0 win.

Match report
LeagueWin
90vs El Mund
15 Aug 2026
1 goal3 assists

A 9–0 opening rout of El Mund — a goal and three assists for Avyaan.

Match report
The story

The whole story — not just the scoreline.

Before the football began

The lead-up — the travel, the setting, the small moments before kick-off.Coming soon

The story

Twenty-eight scored, four won, one Independence Day.

Independence Day, and a one-day five-a-side run by Decathlon on Bannerghatta Road. Vicky FA Reds went through it unbeaten — 9–0 against El Mund, 6–0 against Photons FC Blue, a 6–1 semi-final against Photons FC Green, and a 7–2 final against All Stars FA. Twenty-eight scored, three conceded, and the cup.

It was Avyaan’s biggest single-day haul on record — twelve goals and seven assists across the four games. He scored in every match and created for others in all but the final, where he simply took over the scoring instead, with four.

The final was the real test. All Stars were the only side to lay a glove on them, scoring twice in a 3–2 first half — after three games in which the Reds had given up next to nothing. The answer came after the break: a 4–0 second half to settle it, and Rithvik took the Player of the Tournament award for the team.

Honest note on a winning day: as a unit they’re still learning. A couple of the boys don’t yet pass, or spot the gap where the ball should go, and it showed. He’s trying hard to carry it — but that second half in the final was them at their best.

Learnings

What it taught him — on the pitch and off it.Coming soon

Honest observations

The left foot arrived — quietly, and a coach saw it first.

Two days before this cup, his coach mentioned something I hadn’t caught: Avyaan’s left foot had come on a lot. I’ll be honest — I hadn’t noticed. He’s right-footed, and I’d stopped looking for it. Then the tournament started, and I saw it for myself.

It isn’t about power yet. When a goal needs a real strike, the two feet still aren’t the same — the right hits harder, and that gap is honest. But everywhere the game is touch rather than force, they’ve drawn level: he receives on his left as naturally as his right now, and passes off it cleanly. For a right-footed nine-year-old that’s the harder half of the work — and it’s the half that has quietly shown up.

The scoresheet backed it. Of the six or seven goals we caught on camera across the four games, three were finished with the left. One left-footed chance he ballooned over, too — and that stays in the record. A left foot he’ll actually shoot with is worth more than a tidy number.

The part I keep coming back to isn’t the goals. It’s that a coach saw the change before we did, said it out loud, and a fortnight later the pitch proved him right. That’s the whole reason we keep this record — so the quiet improvements don’t slip past the people cheering the loudest.

Coach’s corner

In the coach’s own words.Coming soon

Other parents’ observations & feedback

What other parents noticed, and shared.Coming soon

Gallery

Photos and moments from the tournament.Coming soon

Registration, onboarding & awards

Everything around the football.

Being documentedThe logistics and award details for each tournament are added over time — dashes mark what’s still to be recorded.

Documentation
Tournament fees
Awards

The tournament honours.

Player of the tournament
NA
Top scorer
NA
Best goalkeeper
NA
Best defender
NA
Avyaan in the tournament
4
matches
12
goals
7
assists
3.00
goals/match
0
awards
Parent’s reflection

From the sidelines.

A brilliant individual day — twelve goals, a trophy, and passages (that second half in the final) where it all clicked. And an honest one too: as a team they’re still finding it, still learning to pass and to see the gaps. When he asked at half-time in the semi whether he could just keep passing, and I told him it was his call — that’s the bit I’ll remember.