Veniza Virar earn a controversial 1-0 win over PIFA Colaba under-19s

by Balbir Singh November 19, 2015

On 18^th November 2015, PIFA Colaba under-19s stumbled to a 1-0 defeat to Veniza Virar in Mumbai District Football Association Division I Group F match. Veniza Virar’s number 7 Prashant Solanki broke the deadlock late in the game, scoring the match’s only goal.

The first-half ended goalless with neither team able to break the deadlock. There weren’t enough goal-scoring chances created by both the teams, lacking quality to penetrate the ball through in the final-third of the pitch. The teams ineffectiveness in the attacking zone meant the spectators went through a rough patch witnessing no goals for a majority period in the match.

Inside two minutes, at the start of the second-half, Veniza Virar’s number 15 Saurabh Rathod was presented with a glorious opportunity down the right-flank to give his team a much-needed if not deserved breakthrough, but he dragged his shot wide of the right-hand post.

A few minutes later, a good cross was whipped-in by Veniza Virar’s number 6 Karan Toprani to set-up Saurabh Rathod, but the number 15 dragged his header off-target. A minute later, number 10 Lekhraj Kotian came close to an opener, but his attempted free-kick was over-hit.

Clearly, the men in Yellow dominated the proceedings earlier in the second-half. As the game reached the first-quarter of the second-half, an off-side was wrongly given by the linesman on the right against Veniza Virar, who argued to be clear on goal. In the course of play, PIFA Colaba went on to score a goal while, Veniza Virar stop playing in protest. The ball actually did take a good deflection on its way to the Veniza Virar player, who was flagged offside. Initially, the referee gave PIFA Colaba uner-19s the goal, but after a heated discussion between the two officials, Veniza Virar players and PIFA Colaba under-19s coach the goal was disallowed to the astonishment of the viewers.

The match was short of a goal, which finally arrived when number 7 Prashant Solanki scored from a corner, after a poor marking display from PIFA Colaba under-19s for a set-play. He ran unmarked in front of the goalkeeper to guide the ball into the back of the net with the slightest of touches.