Coming into the match with strong momentum after recently securing their place in the I-League 2 with an impressive home performance, MYJ looked sharper and more confident from the start.

ICL Mumbai, meanwhile, also entered the clash on the back of a commendable campaign after fighting their way through the playoff group stage.

The match began cautiously with both teams focused on staying compact and avoiding early mistakes. However, MYJ gradually started looking more threatening in attack.

Their biggest chance of the first half came just before the water break when Shravan made a clever run into the penalty area before being brought down inside the box. The referee immediately pointed to the spot, giving MYJ a golden opportunity to take the lead.

But ICL goalkeeper Pradip Naskar produced a brilliant save, diving low to deny Arif Shaikh’s penalty attempt and keeping the scores level.

Both sides went into halftime locked at 0-0 with everything still to play for.

ICL Mumbai nearly punished MYJ midway through the second half after a costly defensive error during a goal-kick routine.

Paramjeet’s misplaced pass fell kindly to Zeeshan near the edge of the box. Although the chance opened up perfectly for him, the forward slipped at the crucial moment and failed to get his shot away, allowing MYJ to escape.

MYJ responded with a major chance of their own soon after. A quick passing move involving Miit, Sujal and Arvindraj Rajan carved open the ICL defence. Arvindraj delivered a perfectly weighted through ball to Tanmay, who found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Yet again, Naskar came to ICL’s rescue with another outstanding save.

Pratham Ghatnur then missed a huge opportunity from inside the six-yard box after brilliantly dribbling past multiple defenders, only to fire his effort wide despite getting into a comfortable scoring position.

However, the striker made amends moments later.
MYJ skipper Kamlesh Nadar floated in a dangerous curling delivery into the box and Ghatnur rose unmarked to power home a header and finally break the deadlock.

The goal proved enough as MYJ held on till the final whistle to seal their place in the MPL 2025-26 final.

With this victory, MYJ also secured their third consecutive top-two finish in the Mumbai Premier League since joining the competition — another sign of the club’s remarkable consistency.

ICL Mumbai will now face Reliance Foundation Young Champs in the third-place playoff on May 21, while MYJ will take on MH Oranje FC in the final of the Mumbai Premier League 2025-26.

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Coming into the fixture, ICL knew a win would confirm their progression, while IOT needed all three points to keep their qualification hopes alive. The defending champions started strongly, dominating possession and committing numbers forward, testing ICL’s defensive organisation throughout the first half.

Despite sustained pressure, ICL held firm at the back while also posing a threat on the counter. Both sides created promising situations, but neither could find the breakthrough, as the first half ended goalless.

The game sprang to life early in the second half when ICL took the lead in the 52nd minute. Avishek Kunjam produced a composed finish through the goalkeeper’s legs, giving his side a crucial advantage and putting them firmly on course for qualification.

IOT pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but ICL’s defensive resilience proved decisive, with players throwing themselves into challenges and closing down spaces to deny any clear opportunities.

The result was sealed in the 88th minute when Vinod Pandey rose highest from a corner to head home, confirming ICL’s semi-final berth in emphatic fashion.

For IOT, the defeat marks the end of their title defence, as they are now mathematically out of contention despite having one playoff match remaining.

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ICL started the match on the front foot and got their breakthrough in the 14th minute when Prem Shinde rose highest inside the box to head the ball past the keeper and give his side an early lead.

The pressure continued to mount on the Kenkre defence and just before half-time ICL doubled their advantage. In the 45+2 minute, Zeeshan Ahmed produced a stunning strike from outside the box that found the bottom corner to make it 2-0 heading into the break.

The second half began in similar fashion with ICL continuing their attacking dominance. In the 49th minute, Zeeshan turned provider as his assist set up Vinod Pandey, who finished brilliantly inside the box to score his first goal of the season.

Just eight minutes later, Zeeshan Ahmed added his name to the scoresheet again with another powerful long-range effort that beat the Kenkre goalkeeper. Two minutes later Prem Shinde grabbed his second of the match with another header inside the box, extending the lead to 5-0.

Zeeshan then completed his hat-trick in the 64th minute with a superb free-kick that sailed past the keeper. The goals kept coming as Avishek Kunjam capitalised on a goalkeeping error in the 84th minute, reacting quickest after the keeper failed to gather the ball and finishing into the net.

To cap off an extraordinary performance, skipper Zeeshan Ahmed scored his fourth goal of the evening in the 90th minute with yet another powerful strike from outside the box, sealing a remarkable 8-0 victory for ICL.

ICL dominated the match from start to finish with clinical attacking and solid defensive work to secure a clean sheet. Meanwhile, Kenkre continue to struggle this season, still searching for their first goal and first points after conceding heavily once again.

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The first half had ICL on the front foot immediately where they struck twice in the first half with the first one coming from Samson in the 16th minute and the second one coming from Zeeshan in the 24th minute to make it 2-0 to ICL at the end of the first half.

In the second half Iron Born were looking to get one back but ICL ruled out all potential attacks. ICL looked sharp in their attacks and they went on to get the third goal late in the game in the 86th minute through Sandeep but the goals didn’t stop there but in the 90+2 minute Zeeshan got the fourth and last goal of the game and completed his brace as well as locked the game with all 3 points for ICL.

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The first half was mostly dominated by Mumbay FC as they maintained good control on the ball and ICL on the other hand tried to get the breakthrough through long throws into the box and set pieces. The first half didn’t have a single goal until the 45+2 minute where Parag got the breakthrough for Mumbay FC put them in front at the end of the half.

The second half again was very equally poised with both teams trying to get a goal for different reasons. Bipin Rawat was solid at the back for Mumbay FC keeping his team in the game with important clearances and tackles. ICL held Mumbay FC to 1-0 until the 90+3 minute where Rahul converted a penalty and sealed the game for Mumbay FC securing all 3 points for the men in yellow.

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The first half was equally poised with both teams cancelling each other out and both being equally strong at the back. The first half had a few half decent chances for both teams but they didn’t capitalise on them and with that the first half ended with a 0-0 scoreline.

The second half started off with a flyer as Joyson went on to get the lead for Mumbai Ultras in the 51st minute and later went on to make it 2-0 with Sachin Bangera getting another goal this season but ICL didn’t step back, in fact in the 76th minute they got one back through Sandeep. Just 3 minutes later Sandeep got another one this time it was the equaliser for ICL which took the score to 2-2 and with this ICL snuck out a point which got them off the mark season but Mumbai Ultras will see it as 2 points dropped with the lead that they had in the game.

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MYJ started the first half well by keeping control of the ball and playing most of the half in the ICL defence. Himanshu converted a penalty with ease in the 10th minute from a foul that was won by Ashish as MYJ took an early lead. ICL found it difficult to get the ball out of their own half to get an equaliser as MYJ pressed the ball with great intent lead by Himanshu. In the 38th minute Shravan went on to grab another for MYJ with a clean finish into the far post to make it 2-0 for the lions. Kamran went on to make it 3 for MYJ in last few minutes of the first half with a simple out foot finish past the keeper with an assist from Ashish to finish half time with a comfortable lead.

The second half started with MYJ looking the more prominent team to get the next goal but ICL needed to get one quickly in order to think of a comeback but Himanshu didn’t let that happen as he went on to grab his brace in the 51st minute with a defensive error at the back for ICL and further went on to complete his hat trick just 3 minutes later scoring once again from the spot to make the score 5-0 for MYJ. ICL got tougher a few passes and were looking to break on the counter which was successful for them to get one back through Bhaskar in the 58th minute but was it just a consolation only time would tell. The though of a comeback lasted just 10 minutes as Miit who came off the bench at half time went on to get his goal in the 67th minute making it his 6th goal in just his third match for MYJ. Kamran once again scored in the dying minutes of the game to complete another huge win for MYJ in the MPL this season scoring 5 or more in all their matches so far.

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From the outset, MYJ FC asserted their dominance, with Jay Bhavnani orchestrating an early breakthrough in the 8th minute. A sublime one-two play on the right flank between Harshal and Shameer set the stage for Bhavani’s pinpoint lob over the defense, perfectly met by Manuel Dsouza, who clinically finished into the bottom left corner with precision, courtesy of composure from Manuel. Unfortunately, Dsouza’s goal-scoring moment was cut short due to an injury shortly after.

Moments later, Shameer, buoyed by MYJ’s momentum, showcased his prowess with a solo run, evading multiple defenders before narrowly missing a spectacular goal.

However, ICL Mumbai swiftly responded, capitalizing on a free-kick opportunity in the 20th minute. Their captain delivered a tantalizing cross into the box, where No. 22 Ishaq Shaikh rose above MYJ’s defense to head the ball into the net, leveling the score temporarily. Yet, MYJ reclaimed their lead in the 33rd minute, with Bhavnani once again at the heart of the action. His low cross deflected twice to ICL Defense before gliding off, eventually finding Vinod Pandey on the second post unmarked, who calmly slotted the ball home. Bhavnani continued to dictate play, demonstrating his vision with a precise through ball to Shameer on the edge of the box in the 45th minute, extending MYJ’s lead just before halftime.

Despite relentless attempts from MYJ, they couldn’t add much to tally. Harshal & Shameer were key in the final 3rd. They made numerous Crosses but the ball kept falling in no man’s land. Meanwhile ICL had job to do in the 2nd Half.

ICL Mumbai intensified their efforts to shift the momentum in their favor. In the crucial 53rd minute, they managed to narrow MYJ’s lead to just one goal. It was a moment of brilliance from ICL’s left winger, who delivered a pinpoint cross into the box, causing a momentary stumble in MYJ’s defense. Amidst the chaos, Umesh’s attempted clearance inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net, much to the dismay of MYJ supporters.

Despite ICL’s growing threat in their counterattacks, they struggled to capitalize on their opportunities. The late surge from ICL Mumbai posed some intimidating threats towards MYJ’s goal, but MYJ’s defense remained resolute, thwarting every attempt with determination. Meanwhile, Jai Bhavnani’s composed presence in the midfield played a crucial role in controlling the tempo of the game, ultimately tipping the scales in favor of MYJ.

With Bhavnani’s leadership and MYJ’s unwavering defense, they managed to maintain their slim lead until the final whistle, securing a hard-fought victory and extending their impressive unbeaten streak.

Although ICL mounted a late charge, MYJ’s defense held firm, ensuring their 3-2 victory at full time. With this win, MYJ-GMSC FC extended their unbeaten streak to 11 games, solidifying their position at the top of the table in the Mumbai Premier League. As the tournament approaches its thrilling conclusion, Mumbai football enthusiasts can expect some more captivating matches and exciting twists in the coming days.

– As reported by Pranjal

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