The draw means, Kenkre leave themselves way too adrift of second placed Pune FC U-19 with just two games to play.

Kenkre FC needed a win to keep their chances alive in this competition, while PIFA Colaba were looking for their first win in this year’s competition in a bid to get off the foot of the table.

They nearly took a step in that direction, when Amey Bhatkal sent a header crashing against the crossbar in the 5th minute. Unfortunately, the PIFA player who met the rebound was offside as Kenkre FC got off the hook.
Two minutes later, Kenkre added insult to injury for PIFA Colaba as they took the lead through as Rohan Dalvi headed home a cross from Kenkre’s right flank. The Kenkre FC forward was totally unmarked near the six yard area as he punished PIFA Colaba for poor marking.

PIFA Colaba nearly responded in the 15th minute, as Pragnesh Solanki sneaked in behind the Kenkre FC defence and fire a shot at goal which was brilliantly cleared off the line by the retreating Kenkre FC backline. The rebound fell kindly to Pragnesh Solanki as the Kenkre FC defenders denied him for a second time to clear the danger.

Four minutes later, Kenkre FC nearly doubled their advantage as Yash Mhatre headed straight at the PIFA goalkeeper after he was picked out from a Kenkre free kick near the center circle. PIFA Colaba were nearly made to pay again for their poor marking.
As the game progressed PIFA Colaba started getting into the game. The men from Colaba were now dictating majority of the play, but without working the Kenkre goalkeeper.
Kenkre’s Atif Shaikh brilliantly went past PIFA’s last man in the 37th minute, but his final effort was weak as it went tamely wide of the goal. It was another opportunity missed by Kenkre to double their lead before the interval.

Kenkre held that slender lead as they went into half time leading after a very even first half’s play. PIFA Colaba showed plenty of promise, but Kenkre FC clearly edged them in terms of chances created.

Kenkre’s first half misses proved to be costly as PIFA Colaba equalized, four minutes from the restart, as Pragnesh Solanki tapped in from close range after the Kenkre keeper had parried an effort from Amey Bhatkal in his path. It was a good move from PIFA as Amey Bhatkal was nicely set up to shoot after a cut back from their right wing.

Kenkre FC nearly regained the lead in the 55th minute when Abuzer Beg brilliantly broke free of his marker to shoot from a tight angle. Unfortunately for Kenkre FC his shot went wide after kissing the upright on its way.

Kenkre FC threw Sekhar Bhattacharya into the fray replacing Rohan Dalvi. That nearly did the trick in the 71st minute when, Sekhar Bhattacharya’s struck the upright after latching on to the loose ball resulting from a fine save by the PIFA goalkeeper from Yash Mhatre’s shot.

It was all Kenkre as we entered the last quarter of the game, as they chased the all-important winner. Yash Mahtre nearly got them the winner in the 82nd minute when he was through on goal, but his chipped effort went just over the crossbar. A minute later Abuzer Beg blasted his effort just over the crossbar after finding plenty of space to unleash a shot.
As Kenkre threw more and more men forward, PIFA nearly punished them on the break, but were denied by some brave goalkeeping by the Kenkre shot stopper.

The game was getting very intense as we entered the final five minutes of the game. There was an urgency in Kenkre FC’s play as they went in search of a winning goal as PIFA were looking for some joy on the break. There was plenty of support for Kenkre FC in the house as they cheered Kenkre FC on in the final few minutes.

Faizan Thange missed a glorious chance to give Kenkre the three points in stoppage time as he fired a shot from close range straight at the PIFA Colaba goalkeeper.

It proved to be a costly miss as the referee signaled the end of the game as Kenkre FC were held for the second time in the competition by PIFA Colaba. The Kenkre players lied down in agony after the game as they knew their chances of qualifying from the group were very much over.

PIFA Colaba produced a good display to earn themselves a point which takes them just within a point of Mumbai FC as they look to move off the bottom of the table.

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Mumbai F.C were the fancied teams of the duo as they played on their home patch. But the odds were heavily upset in the 18th minute when Mumbai FC goalkeeper fouled Kenkre’s Abuzer Beg in the box, resulting in a penalty for the visitors and a red card for the Mumbai FC shot stopper.

Kenkre’s Yash Mhatre stepped up and converted the penalty in the bottom corner, leaving Mumbai FC with an uphill task. The eleven men of Kenkre SC had grown in confidence as Yash Mhatre nearly got his second after a great bit of one-two with midfielder Rhishikesh Shinde in the 21st minute.

Three minutes later, it was Mumbai FC’s turn to test the Kenkre goalkeeper as Nachiket Palav headed straight to the Kenkre goalkeeper after making a late run to get on the end of a Prince Anandraj free kick.

The chance seemed to have restored Mumbai FC’s lost confidence, as their ten men began to threaten the Kenkre goal, initially forcing a save from Adil Sameja from Rahul Raj’s effort in the 27th minute and then forcing an error from the Kenkre goalkeeper who scuffed his clearance as Rahul Raj nearly profited again six minutes later.

There was no evidence of numerical deficit as Mumbai FC nearly restored parity two minutes later, when Nachiket Palav’s run was brilliantly picked out and he raced into the box from the right flank to cut back for Rahul Raj to finish but he blew his shot over. Poor miss from the Mumbai FC striker.

Mumbai FC were desperate for an equalizer before half time as they put a lot of pressure on the Kenkre goal with a good spell of possession in the dying minutes of the first half. They nearly profited two minutes into when Janaminlen Khongsai nicely controlled a long ball and turned, only to see his effort go just wide.

Kenkre S.C hung on to the lead as the referee blew for half time. Kenkre’s numerical advantage was barely visible as they were struggling to cope with Mumbai FC’s attacks. Despite being a goal down, it would be Abdul Siddhique who would be happier of the two managers.

Mumbai FC carried on from where the left in the first half exploiting the space behind the high backline of Kenkre SC. Kenkre were playing a dangerous game as they allowed the Mumbai FC midfield a lot of time and space to pick out the goal bound forwards.

In the 53rd minute, Mumbai FC’s Suraj Negi hit the side netting after being played in on goal. The chances were coming thick and fast for hosts and they needed to make one count.

Kenkre SC made their first real opening of the second half at the hour mark as striker Yash Mhatre did well to drag the Mumbai FC center back wide and picking out Atif Shaikh who ran into the space vacated by the center back, but the Adil Sameja sniffed the danger as he was swiftly out of the line to block Atif Shaikh’s effort.

Mumbai FC continued to dominate the proceedings but failed to make a break through, as frustration was beginning to set in with a few sloppy passes from the Mumbai FC midfield. Mumbai FC manager sensed that and threw Prathamesh Rokade in the mix in the 70th minute with a view to freshen things up.

Kenkre SC responded with a substitution of their own as manager Oscar Alva replaced Sekhar Bhattacharya with Rinaldo Fernandes. Nachiket Palav was involved again as he twisted and turned to create space for a shot which was blocked by the Kenkre defence in the 77th minute.

A minute later, there were appeals for a handball from Mumbai FC when a header seemed to strike a Kenkre defender’s hand. The appeal was more out of desperation than anything and the referee rightly brushed it off.

Mumbai FC won a free kick in a promising position in the 82nd minute which was taken by Prince Anandraj who forced a brilliant save from Adil Sameja as he tipped over a curling effort from Mumbai FC’s No.8.

It was the last roll of the dice from Mumbai FC when they threw Rakesh Karmarkar on in the 87th minute in place of Rahul Raj. A minute later, Janaminlen Khongsai nearly went past a wall of Kenkre SC defenders as he failed to go past the last one.

Mumbai FC threw the kitchen sink at Kenkre SC as the referee signaled for five stoppage time minutes. Prince Anandraj and Janaminlen Khongsai put their efforts wide as Kenkre SC held on for a famous victory which set them rolling in this season’s U-19 I-League.

Mumbai FC on the other hand, need to pick themselves up after this reverse as they face the League Leaders DSK Shivajians next in the Maharshtra Zone of the U-19 I-League.

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