title: 2016–17 I-League U18
text: # 2016–17 I-League U18
  
  The 2016–17 I-League U18 was the ninth season of the Indian I-League U18 and the second season of the competition as an under-18 one. The season began on 15 November with 35 teams divided into eight groups across India. The top 12 teams played in the final group stage in which they were divided into three groups of four and the top team from each group, along with the top second place team, went into the semi-finals, followed by the final. AIFF Elite Academy won the title by defeating East Bengal F.C. in the final.
  
  ## Teams
  
  | Kolkata | Maharashtra | Shillong–Guwahati | Delhi | Goa | Rest of India A, B, or C |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | East Bengal | DSK Shivajians | Gauhati Town Club | Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools | AIFF Elite Academy | Aizawl Bengaluru FC Fateh Hyderabad J&K Bank Lonestar Kashmir Minerva Academy NEROCA Ozone Pride Sports Real Kashmir Tata Football Academy |
  | Mohun Bagan | Kenkre | Rangdajied United | Delhi United | Dempo | Aizawl Bengaluru FC Fateh Hyderabad J&K Bank Lonestar Kashmir Minerva Academy NEROCA Ozone Pride Sports Real Kashmir Tata Football Academy |
  | Mohammedan | Mumbai | Royal Wahingdoh | Hindustan | Salgaocar | Aizawl Bengaluru FC Fateh Hyderabad J&K Bank Lonestar Kashmir Minerva Academy NEROCA Ozone Pride Sports Real Kashmir Tata Football Academy |
  | SAI Kolkata | PIFA | SAI Guwahati | Sudeva Moonlight | Sporting Goa | Aizawl Bengaluru FC Fateh Hyderabad J&K Bank Lonestar Kashmir Minerva Academy NEROCA Ozone Pride Sports Real Kashmir Tata Football Academy |
  | Southern Samity | Pune City | Shillong Lajong | | | Aizawl Bengaluru FC Fateh Hyderabad J&K Bank Lonestar Kashmir Minerva Academy NEROCA Ozone Pride Sports Real Kashmir Tata Football Academy |
  | United | | | | | Aizawl Bengaluru FC Fateh Hyderabad J&K Bank Lonestar Kashmir Minerva Academy NEROCA Ozone Pride Sports Real Kashmir Tata Football Academy |
  
  ## First round
  
  * Tiebreakers
  * The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied in the order given to determine the rankings:
  * Greater number of points obtained in the matches between the Teams concerned
  * Goal difference resulting from the matches between the Teams concerned
  * Greater number of goals scored in the matches between the Teams concerned
  * Goal difference in all the matches
  * Greater number of goals scored in all the matches
  * Drawing of lots
  
  ### Kolkata zone
  
  | Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MB | EB | USC | SAI | MSC | SS |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Mohun Bagan | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 5 | +12 | 23 | | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 5–1 |
  | 2 | East Bengal | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 23 | Advance to final round | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 |
  | 3 | United | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 19 | Advance to final round | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | 4–3 | 2–1 | 3–2 |
  | 4 | SAI Kolkata | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 12 | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | 2–0 |
  | 5 | Mohammedan | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 12 | −7 | 5 | | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | 0–1 |
  | 6 | Southern Samity | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 32 | −27 | 3 | | 0–3 | 0–3 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 0–3 | — |
  
  * ↑ Mohun Bagan disqualified for fielding over-age player.
  
  ### Maharashtra zone
  
  | Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PC | DSK | MFC | KSC | PIFA |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Pune City | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 3 | +27 | 24 | Advance to final round | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | 7–0 | 5–0 |
  | 2 | DSK Shivajians | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 33 | 10 | +23 | 16 | Advance to final round | 1–2 | — | 4–1 | 1–1 | 6–0 |
  | 3 | Mumbai | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 10 | | 1–1 | 1–5 | — | 2–0 | 6–0 |
  | 4 | Kenkre | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 23 | −12 | 8 | | 1–3 | 1–10 | 0–0 | — | 3–0 |
  | 5 | PIFA | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 44 | −42 | 0 | | 0–8 | 1–6 | 1–5 | 0–5 | — |
  
  ### Shillong–Guwahati zone
  
  | Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RW | SL | GT | RU | SAI |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Royal Wahingdoh | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 4 | +21 | 22 | Advance to final round | — | 5–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–2 |
  | 2 | Shillong Lajong | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 15 | Advance to final round | 0–3 | — | 2–0 | 0–1 | 4–1 |
  | 3 | Gauhati Town | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 10 | | 0–3 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 |
  | 4 | Rangdajied United | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 7 | | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | — | 2–2 |
  | 5 | SAI Guwahati | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 20 | −12 | 2 | | 1–5 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | — |
  
  ### Goa zone
  
  | Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AIFF | SAL | DSC | SCG |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | AIFF Academy | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 15 | Advance to final round | — | 1–2 | 8–0 | 3–1 |
  | 2 | Salgaocar | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 10 | Advance to final round | 0–1 | — | 2–2 | 2–3 |
  | 3 | Dempo | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 14 | −11 | 5 | | 0–2 | 0–2 | — | 1–0 |
  | 4 | SC Goa | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 4 | | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | — |
  
  ### Delhi zone
  
  | Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BBFS | SDV | HIN | DU |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Bhaichung Bhutia FS | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 13 | −3 | 12 | Advance to final round | — | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–8 |
  | 2 | Sudeva Moonlight | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 10 | | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 |
  | 3 | Hindustan | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 10 | | 1–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 |
  | 4 | Delhi United | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 13 | −4 | 3 | | 0–1 | 1–5 | 0–1 | — |
  
  * ↑ All games played at Ambedkar Stadium.
  
  ### Rest of India – Group A
  
  | Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BFC | OZ | FH |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Bengaluru FC | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 1 | +16 | 10 | Advance to final round | — | 0–0 | 7–0 |
  | 2 | Ozone FC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 4 | | 1–5 | — | 0–3 |
  | 3 | Fateh Hyderabad | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 18 | −15 | 3 | | 0–5 | 0–6 | — |
  
  * ↑ All games played at Bangalore Football Stadium.
  
  ### Rest of India – Group B
  
  | Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | TFA | AFC | NER | PS |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Tata Football Academy | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 12 | Advance to final round | — | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
  | 2 | Aizawl | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 10 | | 0–1 | — | 0–1 | 5–0 |
  | 3 | NEROCA | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 10 | | 1–1 | 1–4 | — | 2–0 |
  | 4 | Pride Sports | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 14 | −11 | 1 | | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | — |
  
  * ↑ All games played at JRD Tata Sports Complex.
  
  ### Rest of India – Group C
  
  | Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MIN | RK | LK | JKB |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Minerva Punjab | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 9 | Advance to final round | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | 5–2 |
  | 2 | Real Kashmir | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 6 | | | — | 6–1 | 3–1 |
  | 3 | Lonestar Kashmir | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 3 | | | | — | 2–1 |
  | 4 | J&K Bank | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 0 | | | | | — |
  
  * ↑ All games played at Ambedkar Stadium.
  
  ## Final round
  
  Final round will feature 12 teams qualified from first round. The teams are drawn into three groups of four teams. Three group winners and one best second placed team enter semifinal.
  
  ### Groups
  
  Group A :
  
  | Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | United | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 | +14 | 9 | Advance to semifinal |
  | 2 | Salgaocar | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 6 | Advance to semifinal |
  | 3 | Royal Wahingdoh | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 3 | |
  | 4 | Bhaichung Bhutia FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 19 | −16 | 0 | |
  
  * ↑ All games played at Kalyani Stadium, Kolkata.
  
  Group B :
  
  | Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | East Bengal | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 | Advance to semifinal |
  | 2 | Pune City | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | |
  | 3 | Tata Football Academy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 3 | |
  | 4 | Shillong Lajong | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 1 | |
  
  * ↑ All games played at East Bengal Ground, Kolkata.
  
  Group C :
  
  | Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | AIFF Academy | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | Advance to semifinal |
  | 2 | DSK Shivajians | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
  | 3 | Bengaluru FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
  | 4 | Minerva Punjab | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 3 | |
  
  * ↑ All games played at Barasat Stadium, Kolkata.
  * 1 2 DSK Shivajians head of Bengaluru FC on number of goals scored, head-to-head record and goal-difference being the same.
  
  ### Ranking of runner-up teams
  
  | Pos | Grp | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | A | Salgaocar | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 6 | Advance to semifinal |
  | 2 | B | Pune City | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | |
  | 3 | C | DSK Shivajians | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
  
  * 1 2 Salgaocar ahead of Pune City on goal-difference
  
  ## Knock–out stage
  
  ### Bracket
  
  | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals | Final | Final | Final |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | United | United | 0 (12) | | | |
  | AIFF Academy | AIFF Academy | 0 (13) | | | |
  | AIFF Academy | AIFF Academy | 0 (13) | AIFF Academy | AIFF Academy | 2 |
  | | | | East Bengal | East Bengal | 1 |
  | East Bengal | East Bengal | 3 | East Bengal | East Bengal | 1 |
  | Salgaocar | Salgaocar | 2 | Third Place | Third Place | Third Place |
  
  ## Statistics
  
  ### Top Scorers
  
  | Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Liston Colaco | Salgaocar | 16 |
  | 2 | Lalawmpuia | DSK Shivajians | 14 |
  | 3 | Dipankar Baral | United | 10 |
  | 3 | Sandip Bhattacharjee | United | 10 |
  | 5 | Lalcchanhima | East Bengal | 8 |
  | 5 | Kh. Tajuddin | Royal Wahingdoh | 8 |
  | 7 | Sirandeep Moran | Royal Wahingdoh | 7 |
  | 7 | Pranjal Bhumij | DSK Shivajians | 7 |
  | 7 | Mohammad Asrar Rehbar | Real Kashmir | 7 |
  | 10 | Bidyashagar Singh | East Bengal | 6 |
  