Despite HDFC’s two-goal lead in the first-half Railways fought back in the second to clinch a draw.

HDFC opened the scoring as Prakyath Shetty scored off a penalty in the 26th minute.

They scored again when Sherwin Gonsalves smashed home a superb shot in the 35th minute.

But Railways didn’t give up as they pressed on to get a goal before half-time.

Shabaz Pathan’s superb sliding tackle to dispossess HDFC’s Jayesh Naik was proof of Railways’ resilience!

The first-half ended 2-0 in HDFC’s favor.

Come the second-half and Railways’ persistence paid off with a penalty for handball in the 53rd minute.

Pathan made no mistake from the spot as he slammed home a powerful shot to make it 2-2.

Railways defended stoutly to frustrate HDFC in the later stages.

And as Akshay Kamble’s shot from the left swung into goal in the 70th minute…the comeback was complete!

Naik made a solo run into the Railways area in the dying minutes but could only shoot wide from the edge of the box.

The 2-2 draw was as good as a win for Railways!

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A glaring first-half miss by PIFA’s Lalit Patil brought back memories of Fernando Torres’ predicament against Manchester United in 2o11!

But Torres was an out and out striker while Lalit — a defender — was played out of position in this game!

Though Patil cannot (and should not) be blamed still a goal then would have done PIFA a world of good.

CFCI almost scored through Sushil Kawde’s free-kick but were denied by the PIFA custodian.

Though the first-half ended goalless Mannewar’s edge of the box effort broke the deadlock in the second.

That goal prompted PIFA to unleash a flurry of attacks for the equalizer.

And as a series of well-strung passes finally uncorked the CFCI defence…Kaiwalya Tare’s effort hit the top of the bar!

PIFA also had their goof-ups in goal but then good defending made up for those blunders.

They did throw the kitchen sink in the end but CFCI held firm.

Kartik Bele — reminiscent of Brazil and PSG star Neymar — impressed with his step-overs, off-the-ball work and dribbling while Akshay Jadhav was the rock in defence for CFCI.

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They took the lead early in the first half after Shubham Khanvilkar’s composed effort from the spot.

It was soon 2-0 as a superb through-ball found its way to Praneel Mendon who chipped over the on-rushing keeper into the goal.

And if it were not for a couple of missed opportunities Customs would have scored even more!

BOI were handed a lifeline in the second-half thanks to a penalty kick being awarded for handball.

Though Rishik Shetty converted from the spot still Customs scored again thanks to a a tap-in by Shrikant Veeramallu.

Of course, full marks to Veeramallu for superb positioning and off-the-ball work in the build-up to the goal!

Despite Pramod Galave having his spot-kick saved late on still Customs made sure that the game was beyond BOI’s reach.

With this result Customs have moved into third spot whereas BOI have dropped down to eighth in the league standings.

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It proved out to be a nail-biting match as Mumbai Customs, being a man down, made a spectacular comeback to win the match 3-2 after trailing 2-0 for almost an hour. Century Rayon made a superb start as they looked sharp and composed in front of a side which looked quite shaky in the first-half at least.

Century Rayon’s Thatcham Vaschi and Warschei Kaschung wreaked havoc and created numerous opportunities but somehow Mumbai Customs held on. But Century’s pressure finally took its toll. Midway into the first half, a delightful ball from Winner found Thatcham, who made no mistake in front of the goal to deservedly open the scoring.

Century scored their second in the 51st minute through Lungling’s sublime strike which almost seemed like out of reach for Mumbai Customs. Unexpectedly, soon Mumbai Customs started to respond in their very own style. With the introduction of Mathias Coutinho and Francisco Salin, Customs scored three past Rayon in the last half-an-hour to complete the turnaround.

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John Countinho’s right footed strike in the 61st minute was the first of the three goals scored. A few minutes later, John’s precise ball was met by Francisco Salin’s looping header which levelled the score in a spectacular fashion. Suddenly, the match became open, for both the sides to say the least. Customs’ Goalkeeper Liyaz Kaya was sent-off in the 78th minute for handling the ball outside the penalty box.

Although it hardly made any difference with time running out, midfielder Nazeef scored the winning goal to win it for Customs.

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The game was heading for a dull goalless draw before Raju Meetei struck gold for RCF deep into stoppage time. Both, RCF and Central Railways were looking to bounce back from defeats in their respective last games in the Elite Division. Central Railways were thrashed by Union Bank of India by a margin of 4-0, while RCF narrowly went down to PIFA Colaba by a more respectable margin of 4-3.

The game started slowly with both teams struggling to create good chances to score. RCF slowly started to have more of the ball, but they had to wait upto 15 minutes for their first attempt of any note, whem Angampu headed over from a Nishant Rana cross.

RCF continued to dominate the ball, but failed to work Pradeep Kumar who was in goal for Central Railways. Their best opportunity of the half came in the 29th minute when, Nishant Rana did brilliantly to get on the end of a cleared header to cut back for Kevin Patrick who fired his shot over the crossbar.

Central Railways won a free kick in a promising position in the 40th minute, but failed to make it count as RCF were able to clear the danger. RCF’s Sidhu Singh headed wide from a corner in the second minute of stoppage time, before the referee signaled for half time.
RCF had more of the ball, but Central Railways were successful in keeping them at bay and it was clear that RCF needed to up the intensity if they were to grab the three points.

The second half had a similar pattern as RCF saw more of the ball without threatening the Central Raiways goal. RCF replaced Kevin Patrick with Gadam in the 71st minute, hoping to spark life into what was panning out to be a very dull game of football.

Two minutes later, the RCF substitute chested down a cross in Raju Meetei’s path, who shot at the Central Railways goal but the sting of the shot was taken away thanks to a block allowing Pradeep Kumar to collect comfortably.
Central Railways who were having a slightly better second half came close to taking the lead in the 80th minute after a well strung move resulted in Central Railway substitute Gagan S. shooting goalwards, but his shot was straight at the RCF goalkeeper Vikram Singh.

But deep into the 4th minute of stoppage time RCF found a way through as Ashish Dawarkar delivered a delicious cross into the box which was headed home by Raju Meetei to send the RCF bench into delirium.

RCF managed to grind out a victory on a day when they were clearly not at their best. It was a cruel blow for Central Railways to concede so late, but it was a game where they hardly offered anything.

It was a very dull game overall with its brightest spot coming right at the end as Raju Meetei’s stoppage time strike earned RCF the points.

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Central Bank of India were back in action after recently beating Dena Bank 2-0. Western Railways were in action after a long time with their last appearance coming in the RCF Premier Cup.

Both teams cancelled each other out in the opening quarter of the game with a few long range efforts the best that both sides could create.

Central Bank came the closest to taking the lead in a first half which had very few things to report, when Hitesh Chodankar struck an absolute belter of a shot at the Western Railways goal, which was brilliantly saved to his right by the Western Railways shot stopper Lalit Parmar in the 26th minute.

Three minutes later, Western Railways thought they should have had a penalty when their striker was blocked by the CBI defender. The inter-Railway champions might have had a case there, but the referee was not in a great position to spot it as he waved to play on, much to CBI’s relief.

It was a cagey affair, with both teams hardly threatening in the remainder of the first half as the teams went to the break at 0-0. The strikers of both teams were caught offside way too many times and both the teams lacked the creativity to make a difference in the scoreline.

But the second half started with a bang as Central Bank of India took the lead just 5 minutes into the second half, as Hitesh Chodankar’s strike flew into the top corner. It was a brilliant striker from the CBI No.7 which gave CBI the all-important lead in a very tight game.

CBI nearly doubled that lead in the 58th minute when a free kick from Johnson D’Silva was acrobatically tipped away from goal by Lalit Parmar for a corner for CBI.

Western Railways made a substitution in the 61st minute replacing Sadanand Nirmal with Saheb Singh with a view of getting a foothold back in the game which was winging the CBI’s way.

CBI were beginning to create plenty of chances, as Johnson D’Silva’s volley from a corner was punched away from the Western Railways goalkeeper three minutes later.

In the 69th minute, Anil Pawar of the Western Railways forced a fine low save out of Sarfaraz Ansari after he was neatly played in space. The chance seemed to have spurred Western Railways on as they had a bit more swagger in their play.

The improvement in their play was instantly rewarded when, Somi P.T. drew Western Railways level in the 71st minute, after firing home a low cross from their right flank.

The second half was completely opposite the first half, which lacked any kind of goal mouth action. But as the game approached the full time whistle, the fizz went out of the game as both teams weren’t keen to risk the point in hand for all three.

The game ended level pegging as both teams seemed to be satisfied with a point from the day’s work. The draw was the fair result in an overall dull game lacking creativity.

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The game began at a frantic pace with both teams attacking at either end to gain the all important lead. Companeroes defence managed to keep KSA’s in form striker Ahiri Uchela at bay by clearing their lines from Ryan Kolarikkal’s continuous penetrative crosses from the left. The KSA defence on the other hand were caught surprised as they had to deal with an unknown measure in Companeroes debutant & new foreign recruit Steven Olyevuchi, his speed and strength proved to be menacing on quite a few occasions, early in the first half.

Karnataka Sporting were caught on the back foot midway through the first half, when a shot by Reed Santos clearly came off the hand of one of their defenders inside the box, the referee made no hesitation in pointing to the spot. KSA had their goalkeeper Kishen Sulegai to thank, after he pulled of a brilliant save from Jardin Braganza’s penalty kick, diving to his right.

The 2nd half saw KSA  pressing higher with Souvaid Ansari and Valentine Pereira pulling the strings from midfield. Ahiri Uchela did well to keep Companeroes custodian Wren D’Abreo on his toes, after he managed to make some attempts on goal despite close attention from Fazil Sheikh. The Nigerian was handed a brilliant opportunity in the 60th minute when he was put through the middle by Tarique Ansari but it was an outstretched Wren D’Abreo’s fingertips that denied KSA the lead.

Companeroes got back into the game with some consistent passing in the midfield as Joshua Vessaokar and Reed Santos combined well to take the Red and Yellow attack forward. Their efforts paid dividends in the 74th minute when Steven Olyevuchi latched on to a loose ball outside the KSA box, after a cross from the left was not properly dealt with. Steven’s square pass was perfectly met by Joshua, who made a clever run into the box and unleashed a rasping shot with his left foot. The goal came as a big boost to Companeroes talisman Joshua Vessaokar, making his return to the team after a year’s absence.

KSA tried to claw their way back into the game dominating possession and making attempts at the Companeroes goal but were denied on every occasion. The frustration took to them as Ahiri Uchela was shown the red card for an off the ball incident in the 80th minute, when he deliberately elbowed Fazil Sheikh in the face. The task got all the more difficult for KSA, being down to 10 men. Companeroes Nigerian import Steven Olyevuchi had a glorious opportunity to grab his debut goal and further the lead in the closing stages but was unfortunate to see his effort come off the upright with KSA keeper Kishen Sulegai rooted to the spot.

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Elvis Ozawara was the star again for the Colaba side, as his brace helped them bag the three points.

Kenkre were back into Elite Division action after a long break. Their last appearance was in the RCF Premier Cup. PIFA Colaba on the other hand were fresh from a hard fought draw against Air India.

The game got off to a cracking start as Rigved Yeole stunned PIFA Colaba giving Kenkre FC the lead with a well taken goal in the 4th minute. But their joy was short lived, as PIFA Colaba came storming back into the game.

PIFA equalized through Elvis Ozawara in the 7th minute, as Zeeshan Shaikh finished after the goalkeeper had parried a shot in his path, a minute later to complete the turnaround as PIFA Colaba led 2-1.

The game was being played at a good pace and there were chances at both ends. Kenkre leveled the scores again in the 21st minute when Arvind Rajan bundled in from close range after receiving a pass from the left.

Six minutes later, Kenkre FC threatened again as Yash Mhatre drove into the PIFA box going past three defenders in the process. But his last touch was slightly heavy, allowing James Swamy the time to pounce and collect. It was a great bit of play from Yash Mhatre.

PIFA nearly took the lead in the 31st minute when Elvis Ozawara put his shot over after meeting a cross from Deep Morjani from PIFA’s right flank. It was a poor miss from the PIFA forward considering his own high standards.

Elvis Ozawara was in on goal again three minutes later, after beautifully picked out by a through ball. His toe poked effort was nicely saved by the Kenkre goalkeeper Saeesh A.V.

Kenkre’s Arvind Rajan brilliantly made his way through on goal after some intricate play, but he couldn’t finish off the move as he shot over.

Both teams went into half time level pegging at 2-2. It was an entertaining first half with plenty of goals and chances for both sides.

The second half started in similar fashion with both sides looking to get in front. But it was PIFA Colaba who took the lead through Deep Morjani in the 51st minute to put PIFA Colaba 3-2 ahead.

Elvis Ozawara almost got his second goal of the game four minutes later, when he attempted an audacious scissor kick after chesting down a cross from the left wing.

Kenkre FC were denied an equalizer by the heroic James Swamy in the 62nd minute, who produced a brave low save to deny Arvind Rajan. The Kenkre forward should have scored his second as it was a poor miss by him.

Kenkre brought on Arish Sutaria in place of Kamran Siddhique a minute later as they were looking to rescue a point from the game. In the 67th minute, Elvis Ozawara danced his way in the box to pick out Zeeshan Shaikh in the middle, whose shot was crucially blocked by the Kenkre defence. He was booked for a constant argument with the referee three minutes later PIFA Colaba killed the game with a fourth goal in the 75th minute, from the impressive Elvis Ozawara who was played in on goal as he made no mistake in the thumping the ball in the back of the net despite a fist from the Kenkre goalkeeper.

The goal deflated Kenkre FC as they failed to mount a fight back, giving PIFA Colaba another victory in the MDFA Elite Division.
PIFA Colaba had too much firepower for Kenkre FC in the end as the result was never in doubt since Zeeshan Shaikh pulled PIFA Colaba in front in the 8th minute, despite Kenkre taking the lead in the 4th minute.

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Central Bank of India and Dena Bank came into this game on the back of heavy defeats at the hands of Karnataka Sporting Association and Air India respectively.

After a slow start to the game, CBI thought they had taken the lead in the 7th minute, but their goal was disallowed for offside. Five minutes later, Dena Bank went very close to opening the scoring when Pramod Yadav unleashed a powerful strike at the CBI goal which their goalkeeper Sarfaraz Ansari tipped over the crossbar.
CBI made a great surge on goal in the 18th minute as they threatened to open the Dena Bank defence, but they overcooked the move allowing Dena Bank to clear the danger.

The game was being played at a very slow pace and both side were lacking any kind of spark as the game went past the half hour mark. CBI appealed for a penalty in the 37th minute, when the Dena bank goalkeeper seemed to have fouled Hitesh Chodankar in the box. The referee waved off the appeals. It was a good decision by the referee as Hitesh Chodankar had lost the control of the ball when the tackle came in.

A minute later, CBI’s Melwin Vaz put the ball in the back of the net, but the CBI player who passed it to Melwin Vaz was in a offside position and the scores remained level as the referee signaled the end of the first half which had very little to offer.

Central Bank’s Scott D’Souza did brilliantly to get to the goal line and get past the Dena Bank right back in the 47th minute, but his shot from a very tight angle was blocked. It was a selfish bit of play from the CBI forward.
Dena Bank’s Druwesh Nijap was booked in the 53rd minute for a nasty foul on a CBI player. It was a dangerous challenge from the Dena Bank defender and was lucky to stay on the pitch.

The game was very physical and constant stoppages were affecting the flow of the game. Scott D’Souza missed a great opportunity to put CBI ahead in the 57th minute, as he fired a shot from close range straight at the Dena Bank goalkeeper. It was a poor miss from the CBI striker.

CBI finally broke the deadlock in the 66th minute when Scott D’Souza neatly controlled a cross from substitute Charles M. from the right, to bundle home from close range. CBI looked the likelier team to score in the game and they did find that extra bit of quality post the hour mark.

CBI doubled their lead in the 72nd minute, when Scott D’Souza did brilliantly to get on the end of a clearance from Sarfaraz Ansari as he turned and fired the ball in the net with a fine strike from twenty five yards out. It was a brilliant goal from Scott D’Souza who clearly was the difference between the two sides.

CBI replaced their hero of the game, Scott D’Souza in the 82nd minute with Nadeem Ansari as they looked to see off the remaining minutes.

CBI held on for a comfortable win in the end against a listless Dena Bank outfit who did not pose any threat to the CBI goal throughout the game.

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Air India and PIFA Colaba previously met in this season’s Nadkarni Cup Quarter finals, where Air India’s solitary goal was enough to see them past today’s opponents en-route to the final.

But Air India were key men, with Vijit Shetty, Siddharth Nayak and Omkar Singh away with the Maharashtra team for the Santosh Trophy. But that did not seem to affect Air India as they stormed out as their effort was cleared off the line within seconds of the start.
But the game failed to maintain that intensity as there was a lot of sloppy play in the first fifteen minutes. PIFA’s Roshan Karmaran delivered a devilish cross in the 17th minute, but Air India were able to deal with, but not without giving away a corner.

Both teams were struggling to find their rhythm as the game was getting scrappy with a lot of loose play. PIFA were forced into a change when Roshan Karamaran who was one of their better players so far had to come off with a knee injury and was replaced by Arjun Mehra.

The next five minutes saw a lot of action as Sagar Chile hit a powerful shot at the PIFA goalkeeper after a nicely constructed move. A minute later Alves Ozowara seemed to be through one on one with the keeper and did well to beat him as the linesman raised a late flag for offside. It sparked a controversy, as the PIFA players were displeased with the decision. It was a poor piece of refereeing from the linesman as his indecision may have cost PIFA a goal.

Sagar Chile nearly got on the end of a cross from a free kick on Air India’s left flank in the 30th minute. A minute later, Alves Ozowara broke free and shot at the Air India goal, but his effort was vitally blocked by the Air India defender.

There was another injury, this time to Air India’s Vishnu T. who was replaced by Merwin Stephen in the 32nd minute. A minute later Raynier Fernandes breezed past the PIFA substitute to deliver a cross and the shot from it was tipped over by James Swamy in the PIFA goal.

From the resultant corner, James Swamy made a brilliant save on the line to deny Air India the lead. Air India missed a great chance to take the lead three minutes before the interval as he headed over from six yards from a cross from Air India’s left wing.
The referee drew the half to a close. It was a half with decent amount of chances, but none of the teams had been able to establish a firm hold over the game.

Seven minutes into the second half, Alves Ozowara battled his way past the last Air India defender but his final shot was way too weak as Air India’s Rahul Chadha collected comfortably.
In the 55th minute, Air India’s Baldeep Singh rattled the upright with a fine strike. It was a moment of fortune for the Colaba outfit. Air India made a change bringing on Harold Fernandes in place of Anees K. in the 61st minute as they looked to break the deadlock.

Merwin Stephen nearly headed home from a Sagar Chile cross in the 65th minute after Sagar Chile did well to make space to send a cross.

Air India made their third and final change as they sent Neil Gaekwad in place of Johnychand Singh a minute later. PIFA’s James Swamy made a good save from Merwin Stephen in the 83rd minute as Sagar Chile shot over from the rebound. A big miss from Air India as a good chance went begging.

The referee indicated five minutes of added time as Air India were pressing for a win while PIFA seemed to be content with a point. Air India’s Neil Gaekwad’s shot had the PIFA goal scrambling in the third minute of stoppage time, but the shot when wide much to PIFA’s relief.

Neither team could get on the scoresheet as PIFA held on, for what was to be a good point for them against their illustrious opponents. Both teams never really got going and had to settle for a point in the end.

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