It took 17 minutes for the game’s first real attempt and it came from Mumbai FC’s Prince Anandraj who struck a brilliant half volley which sailed inches over the PIFA Colaba crossbar.

Mumbai FC were seeing more of the ball without troubling PIFA’s Manish Shetty in goal. Mumbai came close in the 29th minute through Prince Anandraj again but this time his effort, resulting from a loose clearance, was less emphatic as his shot was well wide off the target.

Mumbai FC’s Girik Khosla was pulled back for a foul, as he battled past the PIFA defence in the 36th minute, but his run was too strong for the referee’s liking.

Manish Shetty, the PIFA shot stopper came out the worst in that challenge as he had to be substituted in the 41st minute by Yasheel Shah in goal.

The stoppage meant there were a chunk of stoppage time minutes, before the start of which PIFA Colaba nearly took a surprise lead the Mumbai FC defence made a mess of a cross from PIFA’s right flank as the ball rolled towards the empty goal. But Mumbai FC cleared in time, only for the clearance to be met by PIFA’s Pragnesh Solanki, whose effort struck the upright.

In the 4th minute of stoppage time, Girik Khosla found himself through on the PIFA goal but his goal bound attempt was brilliantly blocked by the retreating PIFA defender Shumil Shaikh.

The game was goalless as the referee blew for half time. Mumbai FC had failed to make their long spells of possession count. PIFA would have been relatively happy having reduced Mumbai FC to very few chances and being the closest of the two teams to open the scoring.

Mumbai FC had a low more swagger to their play in the second half, as they started in a similar fashion, holding the PIFA goal under siege. But this time they looked likelier to score than in the first half causing few moments of panic in the PIFA defensive third.

Mumbai FC were inches away from taking the lead when Mumbai FC’s Girik Khosla headed back from a long ball as the ball looped just wide of the goal. Mumbai FC had begun to ask a lot of questions at the PIFA rearguard who had the answers till then.

Eight minutes later, Yasheel Shah made a brilliant save to deny Prathamesh Rokade who had unleashed an effort on goal. The PIFA goalkeeper was called upon yet again from the resulting corner as he made another brilliant save from close range.

Mumbai FC are awarded a penalty in the 75th minute after a header seemed to have hot Deepak Mahindra’s hand. Prince Anandraj stepped up but his low effort was saved by substitute goalkeeper Yasheel Shah to deny Mumbai FC the lead.
Mumbai FC though were not to be kept out for long as Nachiket Palav’s attempted cross went straight in, in the 78th minute as Mumbai FC finally got their goal and a much deserved lead.

PIFA blew a good chance to equalize after a good piece of skill from Mohammed Atif had a two on two situation for PIFA Colaba, but Mohammed Atif over hit the cross and the chance fizzled out.
Mumbai FC almost doubled the advantage as Girik Khosla hit the upright from a header after meeting a cross from the right flank.

PIFA’s evening was pretty much up when Martin Assisi saw red after a second bookable offence. The referee confirmed Mumbai FC’s victory when he blew the final whistle.

Mumbai FC registered their first win of the competition and they had to work very hard against a very well organized PIFA Colaba side, but their perseverance was rewarded in the end as they walked away with all three points.

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Gracing the historic moment was Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Indian Super League, and Mr. Praful Patel, President, All India Football Federation.

Also present on this momentous occasion were a host former Internationals, present Footballers, FIFA Referees, Coaches, representatives from FIFA, AIFF, Clubs, Football kids and fans amongst others.

The Artificial Turf laid at the newly built sleek Cooperage Stadium been a part of the FIFA’s Goal Project.

Mr. Patel thanked FIFA for their “special interest in developing Indian Football.”

“FIFA and out AFC have contributed immensely to the rebirth of Football in our Country. India was always a great Football Playing Nation. On the occasion of the recently held 60th Anniversary of AFC, Shaikh Salman honoured India as one of the 12 founding members of the AFC,” Mr. Patel mentioned.

“This ground has a history of over 127 years,” he said referring to the Cooperage. “This ground was in existence prior to all settling down. There is no reason as to why there should be a stoppage in the growth of Football,” he added. “FIFA has spent over 2 million USD to get this Stadium ready. I urge all to support the cause of Football in the City and in the Country.”

Shaikh Salman mentioned about the history of the Cooperage Stadium. “It is a great honour for me to be here standing on this Football ground. I know that India has a lot to contribute for the game and under the leadership of Mr. Praful Patel, AIFF has been targeting the right areas to promote and boost the Sport in India and the Asian Football Confederation will be continuing to support them,” he said.

“AFC and FIFA are confident that the successful hosting of 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup will be further boosting the development of Football in the Country,” he added.

A “nostalgic” Mrs. Ambani mentioned about her personal connect with the Cooperage.

“It was on this ground that Mukesh (Mr. Mukesh Ambani) and I got married. After that, we have come here many times to watch Mohun Bagan play East Bengal,” she recollected.

“This is a wonderful Stadium. This Stadium has been the Ambassador for Mumbai Football and has been synonymous with Mumbai’s Football. My heartiest congratulations to WIFA and Mr. Praful Patel,” she stated.

Former Indian National Team Players, a host of Referees and Coaches were also felicitated on the occasion.

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Mumbai FC find themselves at the top of the table after scoring a hattrick of wins in as many games in the MDFA Elite Division. They are 2 points clear at the top and will look to extend that gap to 5 points against the Indian Navy football team.

The game against Dena Bank saw Mumbai totally dominating the game. At the end some great keeping alongwith many missed opportunities saw the game finish 2-0 in favour of Mumbai. That said, the Mumbai players will be looking to make more of the opportunities they create against the Indian Navy.

Having started in all 3 games for Mumbai FC, Manuel D’Souza gave his insights on the campaign so far. “We are playing really really well. The only frustration was against Dena Bank because we weren’t really taking our chances. We need to be more clinical and kill the game as soon as possible. I was happy to get onto the scoresheet. We have played some beautiful football in midfield & attack and our defence has been robust.”

Indian Navy come into the game having played only one Elite Division game till now which was a 2-0 victory against Union Bank of India thanks to a brace from their skipper Lalchuanmawia. This game will prove to be a stern test for Mumbai FC as they continue to build on their momentum.

Mumbai FC Head Coach is wary of the threat the Indian Navy possess. “They have a good squad and their players are in good shape. We will have to be alert all the time and we need to continue keeping the ball the way we have in the last few matches. We are here to win.”

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It wasn’t difficult for Mumbai Customs facing Kenkre FC, as it was easy pickings for them in a game which they dominated right from the start. Praneel Mendon and Jinto Jose did a stellar job in the Customs half line as they looked prominent with their distribution and consistent passing during the game.

Goals from Deepak Irmali in the 18th minute, a brace from Mathias Coutinho in the 20th minute and 57th minute, a Sagar Bedekar header in the 27th minute and Jinto Jose’ penalty late in the first half were the highlights of the match.

Though in the second half Kenkre FC tried to get their act together, as they started the 2nd half strongly and tried to bring in some momentum but there were only a few occasions, they were barely able to reach in Customs territory, the story turned out to be the same as in the first half with Kenkre doing most of the chasing, trying to defend Mumbai Customs attacks and keep the score decent.

In the 18th minute, it was nice cross by Mathias Coutinho from the right flank which found an unmarked Sagar, who did well to control the ball and lay it off to Deepak inside the box and he finished comfortably for Customs 1st goal.

A few minutes later Mathias Coutinho gobbled up a delicious cross by Praneel Mendon with a powerful header into the back of the net and made it 2-0 in favour of Customs.

Leading the game, Customs din’t hold back as they continued their goal scoring blitz. In the 27th minute, Vaibhav played in a wonderful aerial ball from the right flank when he collected a nice through ball from the half line, Sagar Bedekar anticipated the ball with perfect timing as he headed home the 3rd.

In the injury time of the first half, things got more worse for Kenkre FC as Referee Ravi Pandey awarded a penalty when Kenkre FC’s Aniket Admane tackled Deepak from behind, the spot kick was well converted by Jinto Jose.

Later in second half there were too many chances wasted by Mumbai Customs as they were on driving seat with 4-0 lead. They were more relaxed and kept the momentum going with a string of good passes and possession play, in the 57th minute Mumbai Customs completed their assignment through winger Mathias, with his solo run towards the goal, he took on a Kenkre defender as well as the goal keeper to slot home the ball for the celebrations.

Kenkre FC certainly look out of sorts this season as they have now have a mountain to climb with a goal difference of -8 from their 2 games. As for Mumbai Customs they are looking strong contenders this season with a well balanced squad and more importantly their in form strike force.

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The kids were educated on their technical and tactical skill, physical and mental strength, on field behaviour, communication, discipline and fair play. Abhishek Yadav and Asif Kottayil from Mumbai City FC team came forward and gave tips to the youngsters at the Mumbai City FC’s 5^th Grassroots Development Program.

The Mumbai City FC’s Grassroots Development Program aims to reach out, assist and provide support to over hundred schools, institutions and clubs actively engaged in the game of football across the city. In Year One, the goal of the program would be to understand, address and fill gaps in the current structure by providing whatever these partner institutions require. The Mumbai City FC Grassroots team is being led by Grassroots Development Programme Head Dinesh Nair who has divided the City of Mumbai into five zones, with a dedicated officer assigned to each zone for the year.

The Club will conduct ten AIFF and FIFA Approved Grassroots Training Certification workshops across the five zones reaching out to over 250 coaches during the course of the year. Coaches will also be counselled to understand their needs in terms of curriculum, equipment, grounds and any other needs that require to be met to ensure the sound development of football in Mumbai. These coaches will then bring students from their institutions to participate in Grassroots festivals, five of which will be conducted every month, one in each zone, making it a total of 50 festivals for the year.

The Mumbai City FC Grassroots program is associated with the All India Football Federation and supported by the Mumbai District Football Association and the Western India Football Association.

Festival

Date – 26^th October 2014

Venue – Cooperage Stadium, Colaba
Timing – 6.30pm to 9.30pm
No of Kids – 217
No of Coaches – 16

No of Festival Managers – 8
No of Development Officers – 5

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Both the teams began the game looking to play safe and were hardly making any attacking moves in the first quarter of the game until GM Sports drew first blood. In the 29th minute Sushil Kawde set up a nice move playing a wonderful ball to Micheal Idewele, who cleverly beat Central Bank’s goalkeeper Sarfaraz Ansari.

Central Bank were not able to make any effective moves with the play breaking up after every two or three passes . Even after having the likes of an experienced Melwin Vaz in the midfield it still seemed things were  not working for the bankers in the first half.

Towards the end of the first half the game sparked to life with Russel Galbano making a solo run on the left flank, having made his way into the box Russel took a powerful shot that was a well blocked by goalkeeper Gautam Kanojia.

The second half saw Central Bank make a swift comeback in the 64^th minute, when Egypsio Naronha dribbled past GM Sports’ left back Atish Koli inside the box and found himself with the keeper at his mercy, he made no mistake with the finish, bringing the game back on level terms.

The goal meant that things then began going well for Central Bank of India whereas GM Sports losing their focus, were unable  to gain control of the game. CBI then made a substitution sending out Scott D’souza, who with his good physic and ball control proved to be a valuable change as the bankers looked menacing with every scoring opportunity, coming close on various occassions.

Later in the 78^th minute, CBI took the lead through Scott D’souza as he made it 2-1, it was a combined effort when Jagjeet Singh made a run down the left flank and cut inside, playing a pass to centre half Melvin Vaz, who laid it off  for Scott, unmarked in the box, he made the best of this scoring opportunity, firing the ball home.

GM Sports were caught in trauma with these two goals, having been in the lead in the first half, they now had to chase the game. It din’t take long for Central Bank to get their third, as Hasan’s Golwala chest trap deep in defence created a trouble for GM in the 85th minute as he took slip while trapping the ball, it was Andrew who pounced on this mistake and made a forward pass to Egypsio Noronha. Having scored earlier, Egypsio once again got his name on the score sheet after finishing it well at the near post.

It was quite a turn of events in the 2nd half as Central Bank put three goals past GM Sports, to earn themselves their first win in their opening game.

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Mumbai Customs boasting some of the most talented footballers in the city seemed to have some what of an easy outing against the experienced MS Police side. Customs piled on the pressure from the very start with Deepak Irmali going close in the 8th minute. Soon after which, Mathais Coutinho then tested the MSP goalkeeper with a powerful shot, from a well timed through ball by Deepak.

The Police shook of some of this early pressure with an attack of their own in the 30th minute, when some good work by their talisman Faraz Shaikh, presented an opportunity to Moshin Khan, who took a crack at the Customs goal only to be denied by a brilliant save from Lihaz Koya.

But that wasn’t enough to put down the Customs attack, which payed dividends in the 35th minute as they broke the deadlock when an effort from Sagar Bedekar took a slight deflection off Nitin Warti to beat the goalkeeper. Customs coach Conrad Pereira was much elated with his team going into halftime with a 1 goal lead

Mumbai Customs began the 2nd half from exactly where they left off with another addition to their attack in Francisco Salin. It was Mathais Countinho again, who kept the MSP goalkeeper busy with a shot on target, after a good move by Sagar Bedekar. Customs then doubled their lead in the 51st minute, a long throw into the box from Ashirwad Hegde  was met by Mathais, who flicked it across goal. It was Nafeez who took a wild attempt in the goal melly but Gilroy Aranha made sure the ball ended in the back of the net.

Customs though, conceded a very soft goal a few minutes later. In the 65th minute, a long aerial ball from Faraz Shaikh created confusion in the Customs defense, a miscommunication  between  Gilroy Aranha and Lihaz Koya handed  striker Azhar Shaikh with an easy opportunity to get a goal back for the Police.

The goal was a little bit of a boost for MSP, with the momentum swinging their way, they came close to scoring again, Azhar Shaikh had a good effort on goal saved by Lihaz Koya.

Customs held on to win the game, although the scoreline could have been much worse for MS Police, if it had not been for the number of missed chances from the Mumbai Customs forward line but it was the 3 points that mattered the most, providing them with a good start to their campaign.

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It was Western Railway who got the better of the early exchanges as PT Somi’s through ball in the 13th minute of play was well intercepted by striker Charanjeet Singh, who broke clear of the offside trap set by Central Railway’s defense to net the first goal of the game.

With a one goal cushion, Western hogged most of the ball possession and their midfield was at it again, when a good passing move was directed towards Charanjeet Singh on the left flank, on spotting Tarun Nirwan making the run inside the box, Charanjeet provided a pin point delivery which Tarun comfortably tapped in for the 2nd goal.

Central Railway never gave up hopes & look determined to claw their way back into the game. In the 2nd half, they did just that, keeping the pressure on the Western defense, a corner kick from Krishna Naidu in the 52nd minute was misjudged and fell to the feet of Central Railway’s Chetan Waghela, who did well to shimmy past a defender and slot the ball home.

Just 2 minutes later though, Central Railway’s hard work was all undone with an unfortunate handball in the box, a cross from Clayton D’souza caught Krishna Naidu square on the hand and  referee Tapash Ghosh made no hesitation in pointing towards the spot. Western Railway’s most experienced player PT Somi stepped up to take the penalty and he made no mistake, as he converted the spot kick with ease.

Having the lead Western Railway looked vulnerable, with a lot of  mistakes in defense, fortunately for them Central’s striker Karim Shaikh was having an off day with many missed chances, the best of them being, when a clearance from Western Railway’s goalkeeper Nisarulla Khan, came off Karim’s back and fell right into his path, he did well to dribble past him but was unable to place the ball in an empty net.

Fighting a lost cause, Central did not give up hopes. They got another goal in extra time through Zubair Desai who headed the ball in from a wonderful cross by Krishna Naidu but it was a little too late as the game ended 3-2 in favor of Western Railway.

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