Income Tax score late to clinch a draw versus St. Sebastian’s Boys

by Balbir Singh January 5, 2016

Income Tax score late to earn a hard-fought point in the end against St. Sebastian’s Boys on the 5th of January 2016 at St. Xavier’s ground, Parel in the Mumbai District Football Association (M.D.F.A) Super division group D fixture.
Before the first-45 minutes of the game began to take shape, Income Tax received the first-chance of the match, when Sumesh Kapadia, whose attempted effort went past the right-hand post. In the opening 10-minutes of the game, Income Tax dictated the course of the match with a patient possession-based football – combining brilliantly with neat passing moves before finding a penetrating ball in the channels or in-behind the St. Sebastian’s Boys defence.

Income Tax held St. Sebastian’s Boys in their own half early-on in the match, but left themselves dangerously open for St. Sebastian’s Boys to pounce on the counter.

This wasn’t entirely possible as St. Sebastian’s Boys played as many behind the ball to soak-up the pressure and no-one up-front to press in an attempt to win the ball higher-up the field. Though, at times, when St. Sebastian’s Boys did get a chance to launch an attack, they always looked threatening to score on the break. On a similar occasion, in the 27th minute, Ruseel D’Souza’s effort was kept-out from the Income Tax goal with a last-ditch block inside the box. With the half reaching the 30th minute mark, astonishingly both sides were yet to record an attempt on target.
Both teams grew into the game as the first-half neared its closure. While Income Tax became more incisive with their play around the final-third, St. Sebastian’s Boys looked more threatening on the break as they looked to have finally found a way to neutralize if not nullify the pressure exerted Income Tax.

In the 43rd minute, the match took a sudden twist, but not a surprising one. A first-time ball from Charles Fernandes into Mukesh Singh, who somehow managed to dodge the offside trap to go clean through against Pritesh Jadhav in the Income Tax goal. Mukesh Singh with all his gathered calmness dinked the ball over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net to give his side a 1-0 advantage going into the half-time break.

On the contrary, the second-45 minutes of the game started-off on a brighter note for St. Sebastian’s Boys, who looked to carry-on from where they concluded the first-45 minutes of play. But, as the half progressed, Income Tax settled into their natural rhythm, eventually. Income Tax seemed more-and-more desperate for an equalizer, and it was clearly visible in the way they approached: taking 50-50 chances, shooting from awkward angles and trying to shoot on goal every-now-and-then.

In the 60th minute, Income Tax were awarded a penalty after a foul by Rohan Das inside the 18-yard-box, which Prathamesh Porwal failed to covert in two attempts – hitting a timid rebound straight into the gloves of Abhi Mane.
The best chance from open-play for Income Tax came in the 80th minute, when Jovito D’Mello cut in a cross for Daniel D’Souza from the right-flank, but the former’s  shot on the half-turn went fractionally over the bar.
The goal did arrive, though. In the 86th minute, Camillio Narohna reached the end of a cross from the left as he glanced the ball over Abhi Mane in goal to pull his side back into the game, 4 minutes from time.
The game concluded at 1-1 with neither side entirely disappointed nor satisfied with the final result.