Early blitz from Xavier’s Boys sinks Swami Vivekanand

by Kaushal Shukla May 12, 2015

On the St. Xavier’s ground, Parel, Monday afternoon. Xavier’s Boys registered a fairly comfortable 2-0 win over Swami Vivekananda in the third division of Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA).

In the beginning of the game none of the teams were capable to beat their opponent’s respective defenses to achieve first leading goal for their team. But it took no time for the eclectic hosts to convert the ball into net, in the 4th minute of the match Atish Ruke bravely clinched the pass from his fellow outer wing before going flying in to strike the ball in the net and give Xavier’s Boys an early lead.

Opponents Swami Vivekananda couldn’t keep them satisfied by the referee’s decision as they expected it to be called a foul. But the smooth passing and mature tactics helped the Xavier’s Boys with their early strike to maintain the pressure right from the beginning; they took no time to double their impactful lead in the fifteenth minute when a gifted corner was netted by Ajit Bhaji quite unanimously. He gave no time to opponent defenders to even blink an eye before thrashing the ball inside the net.

The rest of the half was enthralling as the Vivekananda tried their level best to reduce the deficit. Before the whistle for the completion of the first half of the match, Xavier’s Boys maintained an effective lead with 2-0 on the board.

In the second phase of the game it was difficult to identify who played according to their caliber as both the teams were fairly even and it was more of a contest than the first half.

Xavier’s Boys tried to increase the lead till the end of the match. They were clear and confident with their skills and moves. Though Swami Vivekananda defence was captivating in the second half when firm Akash Vidyasagar many a times deflected the ball to save his opponent’s moves. But the constant failure of the strikers to convert the ball in the goal was one of the vital reasons for the final mishap of 2-0.

Even in the last three minutes, Vivekananda strikers received various chances from their midfielders but were unable to convert any of them till the end. The score ended with 2-0 as the Xavier’s Boys accomplished the game with their early strikes in the match.