Mumbai Ultras clinch a crucial victory to keep playoff hopes alive

by Chittu Shetty January 24, 2024

In a dramatic encounter, Mumbai Ultras registered a crucial 2-1 win over Young Guns FA (Rhema) to keep their playoff hopes alive

The match kicked off with Hemang Jadhav’s going close early on as he positioned himself among the Mumbai ultras’ defenders, getting a well-executed pass from his teammate only for the anticipation of the goal to be met with no result as the header attempted by him narrowly missed the target, denying the team an early goal.

Mumbai Ultra quickly retaliated at the other end, with an attempt of their own wherein Raj Ali seized an golden opportunity and tricked the defence of Young Guns breaking through with a powerful shot aimed at the center of the nets but the thane side’s keeper thwarted this advancement with a remarkable save, denying Mumbai ultras the chance to score a lead.

The intensity heightened as Joyson Chettiar received a pass near the post and converted it into an well executed shot fired into the right corner which went for a goal completely beating the keeper and scoring the first goal for Mumbai Ultras, giving them a 1-0 lead in the game as the first half concluded.

Second half brought along its share of excitement, where Mumbai Ultra showcased a well-coordinated effort between its players as Shreyas Zele dribbled past the defence of Young Guns (Rhema) in left wing and passed on the ball to Joyson Chettiar in right wing who then slipped the ball to Raj who awaited the pass in the center of the box and upon receiving the ball attempted an shot which sailed over the bar and missed the goal despite a promising setup and gameplay.

Young Guns (Rhema) responded with a well-coordinated counter attack of their own in time of immense pressure to equalize, where Amitesh Koderi and Substitute Akshay Kumar displayed amazing teamwork, the former dribbled past Mumbai Ultras defence before setting up Akshay, who took a touch or two before unleashing a brilliant shot into the nets to make it 1-1, relieving the pressure off his team and bringing fresh energy into the game.

At the other end, Mumbai Ultras continued to press forward in the game looking for the winner, with Shreyas Zele dribbling cross wards from right wing. Although he managed to beat the defence of Rhema he missed an opportunity as he couldn’t pass on the ball to his teammate who awaited the chance in a prime scoring position.

In the 85^th minute of the match, match took a decisive turn when a scuffle among the Mumbai Ultras players, presented a golden opportunity for Shreyas Zele, who made amends to his earlier mistake with a spectacular shot from a distance straight into the center of nets, securing a much needed and crucial goal for his team which gave Mumbai Ultras a lead of 2-1.

Young Guns (Rhema) tried hard, putting in all the efforts to equalize the match in the final moments but Mumbai Ultras held their nerves and defended the finals attempts gracefully, winning the match 2-1.

The win opens up the race for Playoff with all top 4 left with one match to play for and each team separated by a point each.

– As reported by Anas Mujawar

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