CHENNAI: Three Wise Monkeys have been crowned as the National Champions of the Apollo Tyres Road To Old Trafford 5-a-side tournament in a thrilling finale in Chennai on Sunday.

Three Wise Monkeys defeated Swig in penalties by 3-2 (2-2) to win the finale and book tickets to Old Trafford.

In the initial round of the Road To Old Trafford in Pune and New Delhi, 40 teams battled it out for the six spots that were up for grabs for the Chennai finals.

Ultimately, it was Stilton Cafe (Delhi), Tajore Cafe (Delhi), BP Street (Noida) from New Delhi along with Three Wise Monkeys (Mumbai), Swig (Pune), K-Bar (Goa) from Pune who qualified for the final stage, held in Chennai. The team from Mumbai has earned itself one of the most coveted prizes that any Indian football team can win – a chance to play at the turf at Old Trafford where some of the legends of the game over the years have enthralled football fans. The Grand Finale of the Apollo Tyres’ Road To Old Trafford to determine the Global Winner will be held at the iconic stadium on June 6 later this year.

Scott Moraes, captain of Three Wise Monkeys said, “This competition is one in the world. For an Indian footballer to have a chance to go to Manchester United and play, it’s goosebumps. It doesn’t get better than this in life, I promise you that. I wanted to win it for the boys because there are many upcoming youngsters we promoted. So it’s all for them.

We are super excited and looking forward to have a great time there.” The tournament had 40 teams from different parts of India competing against each other in high-octane matches filled with action, drama and excitement during the Pune and Delhi leg. The best six teams advanced to the national finals, where Three Wise Monkeys eventually emerged winners.