Elite Division: Millat FC, Dena Bank, GM, and KSA clinch crucial wins

by Siddharth Yadav March 24, 2019

24th March 2019, Mumbai: Over the last couple of days, a total of four MDFA Elite Division matches were played in Neville D’Souza Turf (Bandra). GM played Bombay Gymkhana, Union Bank of India (UBI) faced Dena Bank, Millat FC locked horns against CFCI, and KSA encountered Bombay Muslims.

KSA and GM continued their hot-form, whereas, Millat FC and Dena Bank cruised to a crucial win as they get their campaign going. KSA, who had scored ten goals in their previous game, scored nine against Bombay Muslims to cement their place at the top of the Elite Division Private Group.

One of their best performers this season, Sunny Thakur, once again proved his worth after scoring twice and contributing in other goals as well. Steven Dias assisted six of the nine goals as he continued his excellent season. Johnson D’Silva and Sanchit Singh chipped in two goals each while Zaid Ansari also got on the scoresheet to complete a thumping 9-0 win.

If there is a side apart from KSA in a hot-form, that’s GM without a doubt. In a closely-contested game against Bombay Gymkhana, GM recorded a hard-fought 2-1 win to keep the pressure on KSA. Sanath Valladares and Sudhakar Ranjan once again got on the scoresheet for GM. The in-form side was 2-0 up when Bombay Gymkhana scored late in the match through Pratik Patil but it was too late as the Gymkhana had to settle for another loss.

In the Bankers Derby between Union Bank of India (UBI) and Dena Bank, a strong and determined performance by Dena Bank saw them edging UBI 1-0 in a closely-contested game at the Neville D’Souza Turf in Bandra. Rohit Bheke scored the decisive goal in the 47th minute for Dena Bank and with UBI’s Athang receiving a red card, the match swung in Dena Bank’s favor as they claimed the bragging rights.

Millat FC played CFCI in what was an anticipating clash. Millat FC displayed a gritty performance and took their chances brilliantly to register a comprehensive 3-1 win over CFCI. Aniket Shipe bagged a spectacular hat-trick as his finishing was truly impeccable. Apart from being good in the attacking phase, Millat FC defended brilliantly as well to shut down CFCI’s supply throughout the game.