Ambernath United – Atlanta FC ride on Himanshu Patil brace to beat Mumbai Customs 3-0

by Chittu Shetty June 29, 2022

Ambernath United – Atlanta FC lived up to their billing of tournament favorites as they defeated Mumbai Customs 3-0 in Match 3 of MFA Harwood Premier League.

Coming to the tournament with a 17-game winning streak, Ambernath UTD – Atlanta were set to face off one of the stalwart clubs of city football – Mumbai Customs. The Steven Dias-managed club did not disappoint as they showcased some excellent football on the field with crisp 1-2 passing and neat finishes.

Customs started brightly and dominated possession in the early parts of the game as AUA FC looked to work out on counters. Nitesh Munde was the star for Ambernath as he managed the tempo of the game and controlled the midfield with his excellent ball distributions.

The game’s first big chance fell for Customs when Rinaldo’s cross was met by Pragnesh’s header as the ball went whiskers away from the post. At the other end, AUA FC started growing into the game with some neat passing. In the 18th minute, catching the run of Himanshu, Nitesh sent in a brilliant lofted ball over the Customs defense which Himanshu latched on before the onrushing keeper could grab it. However, his first touch was a tad strong as the ball went wide of the post and despite Patil’s diving shot, the ball could only hit the side netting.

A few minutes later, a long ball from the AUA FC defense into the customs box was well chested down by the striker before the Custom’s defenders managed to clear it away just in time. The ever-running Alister though managed to chase it down wide and win it back. This was followed by some slick passing between players as Alister’s pass found Arif who laid it off to Allen who slid the ball to an unmarked Himanshu, as the latter finished it to the bottom right corner to make it 1-0.

In the second half, Nitesh Munde’s pinpoint crosses came to the fore when in a Free-kick situation, Munde sent a teasing ball between the Keeper and Customs defensive line. Himanshu Patil did well to beat the offside trap before rising the highest to nod home his second of the game. With 2-0 down, Customs started fancing a couple of their own chances, on one such occasion Arjun Singh sent in a top cross over the AUA FC defense however Shrikant’s header went straight to the keeper Rahul’s hand.

In the final minutes of the game, AUA FC won a foul in the Customs half, which was quickly taken by Vijith as he slid the ball to Arif who sent in a brilliant defense splitting through pass, an alert Sunny Thakur made the run past the Central defenders before slotting the ball past the keeper to make it 3-0 for Ambernath United – Atlanta FC.

FT: Ambernath United – Atlanta FC (Himanshu Patil 18’, 63’, Sunny Thakur 90+2’) 3 – 0 Mumbai Customs

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