Reserve Bank of India hosted Century Rayon in the first semi-final of this year’s Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) Division 1 at St. Xavier’s ground, Parel on Thursday afternoon, 17th March, 2016.

Throughout the 90 minutes of football Century Rayon played they had control on the flow of the match, but a lackluster performance in-terms-of passing, decision-making and coming out on-top during one-versus-one situations in the final-third of the pitch cost them a place in the final.

A foul inside the 18-yard-box by Century Rayon’s Manish Mandloi, resulted in a penalty to R.B.I., which Abhishek Ambekar slotted past the trailing Century Rayon goalkeeper in the 40th minute.

Throughout the first-45 minutes of the match, Century Rayon played the role as a dominant side amongst the two teams, but fell-short on a majority of occasions to provide a structure to their attacking play around the opposition’s box.

The timing of the goal by R.B.I. proved to be a bigger blow for Century Rayon than the goal itself as the latter were favorites to progress going into the second-half of the proceedings if Century Rayon had not conceded the penalty.

By the time, Century Rayon gathered itself up, the first-45 minutes had come to a closure. Although, the Rayon’s started the second-half as brightly as the first-half, but having come agonizingly close to scoring an equalizer themselves as they left huge holes to be exploited by R.B.I. on the counter-attack, the former stumbled for the second-time in the 84th minute of the match to let slip-in a decisive second-goal for Reserve Bank of India.

The second goal as a result of a poor first-time clearance from a cross inside the box, which fell to Hriday Sethi inside the box, who half-volleyed the ball into the net to give his side much-needed breathing space as they patiently waited for their opportunities in the tussle, making the most of it, in the process.

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