Mumbai Super League: FSI hold MSP to a 0-0 draw

by Chittu Shetty January 3, 2024

The Tuesday morning Mumbai Super League Group C showdown sees MSP and FSI battle out a hard fought 0-0 draw.

The match was a rollercoaster of near misses, stellar saves, and a few controversial decisions to spice things up.

The action kicked off early with Varad Parab pulling off some slick dribbles, setting up Joseph D for a killer header that sadly kissed the post. MSP’s Nitesh Aswani held down the fort as a Center Back, sending the ball dancing to the midfield with finesse.

Things got spicy when Nihal Colaco of MSP got fouled, earning them a free kick right by the post. Nitesh stepped up for the kick, but FSI defenders were up for the task managing to deflect the ball just outside the box. The first half ended in a nail-biting 0-0 tie, with both teams itching for a lead.

The second half rolled in with MSP swapping Nihal for Akshay, hoping for a game-changer. The action heated up with Akshay Chavan taking a free kick that got a solid deflection from FSI’s goalie. A series of substitutions flew in from both sides as they looked for the killer blow in the final moments of the game.

FSI’s Alvin stole the spotlight with a dazzling run down the right wing, weaving past defenders before releasing a final shot, though powerful, soared over the bar, leaving FSI and their fans on the verge of a collective heart attack. The final whistle blew, and the score stubbornly remained 0-0, forcing both teams to settle for a dramatic draw.

Post the game, Ashutosh Rathod, Head Coach of Mumbai Soccer Prodigies was all praise for FSI’s defence but was equally vocal about some of the refereeing decisions in the game.

“FSI was determined in their game and they were defending brilliantly. We were missing on our few players costs us two points. But let’s not forget, the absolute miserable refereeing. There were two major injuries, couple of head injuries due to lack of control on the game by the referee. There should have been multiple yellow cards and 3 penalties in total for both the teams however many of them were not given. The referee couldn’t handle the game in the way he should have.”

“We have videos and we will be sending these to MFA maybe it will help them understand why coaches make so much fuss about refereeing and train the referees accordingly.”

Also Read: The 10th season of the Indian Super League is a moment of great pride for Indian football: Abhishek Bachchan

Also Read: CFCI (U23) hold Maharashtra Oranje (U23) to 0-0 draw, spice up Mumbai Super League playoff race in Group B

– Writing credits Ayush Rathi

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