Carmelites F.C. narrowly gets the better of Kenkre under-17 in a 1-0 win

by Balbir Singh December 4, 2015

On the 4th of December, 2015, Kenkre under-17 played Carmelites F.C. in the Mumbai District Football Association Division 1 fixture at St. Xavier’s Ground, Parel. Carmelites F.C. narrowly got the better of Kenkre under-17, clinching a 1-0 win in an otherwise balanced encounter. The scoreline and the manner in which the only goal of the game was scored wasn’t surprising. No.17 Denzil Mascarenes scored the solitary goal in the match on the 5th minute mark to give his side an early lead, they’d hold on to it until the full-time whistle.

The solitary goal of the match was the only real highlight in an otherwise average game which had real moments which could chance the course of action for either side. Dead balls in this game were particularly morex important, because that was the only time both sides looked threatening to create any real opportunity to score a goal.

The manner in which the goal was scored that is from a corner is a perfect example to support the above mentioned point. Denzil Mascarenes pounced on to a good cross and guided his headed ball past the Kenkre under-17 goalkeeper.

Aa the game progressed through the first half and into the second half, the players grew tired and didn’t cover much spaces as the game became more and more open. Inside 10 minutes of the second half both side introduced substitutes in order to bring fresh legs and change the course of action. The climate was particularly hotter compared to most days and its affect could be clearly seen in both side’s play.

Neither side was able to give their enough and lacked incisive passes in the final third. Teams also misplaced passes in key areas which resulted in more frustration for Kenkre under-17 in particular, who did on a more consistent basis.

Most of the opportunities which came in the second half were from dead balls and even though Kenkre looked more threatening from set pieces they failed to convert these chances into meaningful goalscoring opportunities due to the height advantage at Carmelites F.C. disposal. Carmelites themselves had to wait until the 76′ mark to have their first chance of the second half.

The final chance of the match fell to Kenkre from a freekick which for the first time in the second half made the goalkeeper make a save. Mandip Singh’s free kick to far right corner would have gone in if the Carmelites goalkeeper hadn’t made the save at the very last moment.

Overall, the game didn’t have the kind of chances which can lead to a genuine goal scoring chance and thus a 1-0 win for Carmelites was a fulfilling result if not a deserved one.