BHUBANESWAR: Former Delhi FC player Lokmanyu Chaturvedi emerged victorious in the FIFA U-19 eSports qualifier by defeating Aman Parate by 3-0 at Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday. With the win, Lokmanyu qualified to take part in the FIFA U-19 final round. 

Among the Odisha players, Suvam Das reached the quarterfinals with an upset victory over number-four ranked Nihal Thomas Jacob of Bengaluru. In the quarters, he suffered defeat at the hands of Shagnik of Kolkata. 

Thanking Just Think Sports, the organiser of the tournament, and the Sports and Youth Services department, Das said the event gave a chance to play with many national players. “The most amazing thing that has happened to me is my win over Nihal. After the match, many top rated players congratulated me,” he said.

Just Think Sports CEO and founder John Zaidi said eSports is one of the fastest growing sports in India. The FIFA qualifiers were organised in Odisha for the first time. After another three qualifier round matches, the final will be held at Delhi or Mumbai, he said.

“Seeing the overwhelming response from local players here, we are planning to organise another eSports event this year. We are also in talks with the State Government to host something big in January next year with a cash award of `20 lakh,” Zaidi added.