Kahani FC play MSP Academy in the opener (9 am kickoff).

Ten teams have made it to the second or the playoff stage of the tournament (to be played from January 15 to 24) to be played after the preliminary zonal round. The ten teams are divided into two groups of five each. The top two teams from each group (and the best third-placed team) will make it to the final round where 11 more teams will join the fray. The final round is set to get underway from January 27.

The playoff round will be played at Navelim Ground and Utorda Ground.

Along with a host of football academies and local clubs across India a number of I-League and Indian Super League (ISL) teams will also play. The likes of Real Kashmir, Minerva Punjab, Shillong Lajong, Aizawl FC, Jamshedpur FC and Kerala Blasters have made it to the playoffs.

Group I
Real Kashmir FC
Kahani FC
MSP Football Academy
Minerva Punjab FC
FC Mangalore

Group II
Kerala Blasters FC
Aizawl FC
Raman Vijayan Soccer School
Jamshedpur FC
Shillong Lajong FC

Also Read: HERO I-LEAGUE: Superb Chennai do the double over East Bengal

Also Read: HERO I-LEAGUE: Arrows blank listless Shillong with first-half masterclass

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Kenkre FC started off brightly against Mumbai FC but failed to maintain the intensity for the rest of the game. Mumbai FC utilized their chances well and registered a 2-0 victory at Cooperage Stadium, courtesy a goal from Bryce Miranda and substitute Rabiul Shaikh to kick-off their season with a perfect win.

Also Read: http://www.footballcounter.com/2016/bryce-miranda-inspire-mumbai-fc-defeat-kenkre-fc-2-0-u-18-league-opener/

Kenkre FC will have to start without their midfielder Alok Chauhan as he was sent off for receiving two yellow cards against Mumbai FC. Although Sagar Amin’s side has quality players at his disposal with the likes of Shubham Mane, Marc D’Souza, and Sandeep Manoharan.

The boys in green must create chances which were lacking in their opening game against the Yellow Submarines which turned out to be fatal. Whereas, PIFA Colaba is been injected with a new squad which seems quite energetic.

The host will hope to start their campaign on a brighter note, whereas, Kenkre FC will surely look forward to grabbing maximum points to get back on track. Nonetheless, the match will surely live up to its expectations.

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Two second-half goals by Bryce Miranda and Rabiul Shaikh proved to be enough for the Yellow Submarines to see off their counterpart. Moreover, both the sides finished the game with 10 men in a highly intense match at Cooperage.

Mumbai FC started off brilliantly and dominated the match proceedings for the major part of the game. Whereas, Kenkre FC suffered a number of times in the final third which cost them the match.

The first genuine chance of the match came in the 4th minute when Mumbai FC’s Rohan Shukla rolled a perfect pass to Abhishek Patil who unleashed a powerful right-footed shot which was saved brilliantly by Kenkre FC’s Prathamesh Moolchandani.

Six minutes later, Bryce Miranda delivered a pin point ball in the box to Rohan Shukla whose lob came agonizingly close as it just sailed over the crossbar.

Bryce was undoubtedly Mumbai’s best player on the field who created havoc for the majority of the match.

Mumbai FC’s Roysten Castelino also came close to open the scoring in the 19th minute when his long-range shot just went wide of the right-hand post.

The Yellow Submarines’ pressing high up the pitch started to inflict pressure on Kenkre FC in the first half but the visitors held their nerves to concede an early goal.

Midway through the first half, Kenkre FC got their first major opportunity. Sandeep Manoharan’s solo effort almost stunned Mumbai FC’s backline as he dribbled past couple of defenders only to hit his shot wide.

The last chance in the first half came when Mumbai FC’s Captain Kartik Yenurkar almost scored from Azfar Noorani’s corner as his header sailed just wide off the post.

The second half kicked off just the way Mumbai FC wished for. Three minutes into the half, Bryce Miranda produced a moment of magic when he brilliantly found the back of the net with a sublime strike to put Mumbai FC ahead. Bryce’s deserved the goal after all the hard work he did in the first half.

Moments later, Bryce almost had an assist to his name. His cross was almost converted to goal when Azfar’s loose shot rattled the bar.

The Yellow Submarines sealed the match fifteen minutes from time when substitute Rabiul Shaikh scored a solo goal past Prathamesh to hit the final nail in the coffin.

In the last stages of the match, Alok Chauhan (Kenkre FC) and Rabiul Shaikh (Mumbai FC), both were sent off for receiving their second yellow card.

It was a great performance by the host, whereas, for Kenkre FC, they need to convert the half chances and improve their gameplay in the final third.

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