U-13 Youth League: MSSA and FC Mumbaikars prevails

by Siddharth Yadav November 9, 2017

8th November 2017, Mumbai: On the last matchday of U-13 Youth League (Qualifiers) Maharashtra Zone (Group B), MSSA (Mumbai School Sports Association) and FC Mumbaikars booked their place in the next round in an eventful day at Cooperage Stadium.

MSSA met FC Mumbaikars in the first match of the day. FCM needed a win to keep their hopes alive, whereas, high-flying PIFA locked horns against Rush Soccer in the second and last match of the group stage campaign. FC Mumbaikars went on to defeat group leaders MSSA 2-1 to qualify as the best two teams from Group B, while PIFA and Rush played out a 1-1 draw in the other game.

FC Mumbaikars started brilliantly who kept the match tempo high in the first-half. After an end-to-end display by both the sides, FC Mumbaikars broke the deadlock in the 35th minute to take a crucial lead. Defender Smit Chandorkar brilliantly finished from the edge of the box as MSSA’s goalkeeper Piyush Gupta couldn’t do enough to keep Smit’s effort out.

In the second-half, FC Mumbaikar was hoping to kill the game with a second goal to ensure their place in the next round and they just did that in the 48th minute when Midfielder Yash Nikalje doubled FCM’s lead with a close-range goal. MSSA pulled a goal back in the 61st minute through substitute Arya Agicha but it rather proved as a consolation goal.

In the second match of the day, an energetic and spirited PIFA side played out a 1-1 draw against Steadfast FC who needed at least five goals to qualify for the next round. Nonetheless, the boys in blue produced a fantastic performance which kept Steadfast FC at bay.

After an impressive start, PIFA opened the scoring through Yash Kaushik’s sublime goal in the 31st minute. A superb build-up play from the back was perfectly executed by Yash’s clinical finish. Shawn Vanappa and Arush Tandon had an impressive match for PIFA, while Jordan Noronha and Reuel Fernandes stood as best players for Steadfast.

PIFA’s hard work suddenly came to a halt when Mohammad Jaffar Mansoori equalized for Steadfast in the 51st minute, crashing PIFA’s hope of qualifying into the next round. Both the sides stood firm and composed at the back to share spoils in a dramatic 1-1 draw.