While Air India came into the game on the back of 5-0 trouncing of Mumbai Post Trust, Karnataka Sporting Association (KSA) entered quarter-finals beating ESIC 2-0.

In a highly physical game, both sides came out aggressively in search of early goals. However it was Air India who took the lead when Advait Shinde’s shot beat the keeper to find the net. Despite continuous pressure from KSA for equaliser, Santosh Koli led Air India held on to their defence firmly. Late in the second half, Air India doubled the lead as they took advantage of KSA putting men forward in search of that elusive goal, with Neil Gaikwad scoring the decisive second goal to put the game to bed.

Quarter-Final 1: KSA 0 – 2 Air India (Advait Shinde 24’, Neil Gaikwad 79’)

MDFA Super Division

In Super division fixture, Mumbai Muslims search for first point continues as they picked second 0-2 loss of campaign going down to Young Boys. Two goals from Ubaid separated through a half-time break, gave Young Boys a convincing 0-2 win. With this win Young Boys are now placed in the second position just two points shy of group A topper Salsette FC.

Group A: Mumbai Muslims 0 – 2 Young Boys (Ubaid 20’, 50’)

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Despite both the game ending without a goal scored in Normal time, the knockout format meant the matches led to penalty shootout, giving fans nothing less on excitement. In the first game of the day, Mumbai Customs faced Mumbai striker in the first round encounter. Both the sides put caution to wind and played well defensively with goal-keepers putting on a great shift. By full-time neither side managed to break the deadlock, with the game heading into Penalty Shoot-out. While Mumbai Strikers converted their first attempt, customs missed blazing over the bar. Abhishek Bhagat, Saurabh Solanki Ravish D’souza and Arsalan Hamdulay found the net for Strikers while Joshua Vendakar and Mathias Coutinho were the only ones to hit the net for Customs. Mumbai Strikers eventually went through to the next round edging Mumbai Customs 4-2 on Penalty shoot-out.

Game 1: Mumbai Strikers 0 (4) – 0 (2) Mumbai Customs

In the second encounter, PIFA faced off against Bank of India for a place in quarter-final. In this high intensity game, both the sides were down to ten men after getting their players sent-off for violent conduct. While Rakesh Mahid of Bank of India was given the marching order in just the 20^th minute, PIFA failed to capitalise on the man advantage before getting themselves reduced by a man. Venky was shown straight red in the 75^th minute, as the game was now turning into final quarter. The game remained goalless until the full-time whistle after which penalty shoot-out was played. Bank of India Keeper Sanjeev Verma pulled off two incredible saves to deny PIFA goals as BOI won 4-2. Sushant and Kamran were on mark for PIFA while Alvito Gomes, Shubham Dalvi, Rupesh Meher and Sailesh Jadhav converted their strikes to send BOI in to quarter-finals.

Game 2: Bank of India (BOI) 0 (4) – 0 (2) PIFA

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HDFC (Ramesh Singh 32′) 1-0 Central Bank of India (CBI)

In the first game, Elite Division side Central Bank of India (CBI) faced Super Division side HDFC at RCF Ground, Chembur. In what turned out to be a cagey affair, a determined performance by HDFC saw them edging past CBI 1-0 to record a memorable victory.

Throughout the game, it was HDFC who dominated the match proceedings. The Super Division side hardly let CBI dictate the game as they deceived CBI’s midfield who failed to create more opportunities for their strikers.

Kevin Patrik and Andrew Burthelo did come close for CBI in the first-half but their poor composure in front of goal never bothered HDFC’s goalkeeper. It was in the 32nd minute when Ramesh Singh’s left-footed strike from outside the box gave HDFC a deserving lead.

Ramesh Singh was fantastic for the majority of the match but it could have been phenomenal had he not wasted some of the golden opportunities in the second-half. Winger Siddesh Batawale had an incredible game too as he created a havoc down the right flank.

Failing to create chances led to CBI’s loss as HDFC’s patience paid off with a narrow and deserving 1-0 win.

Union Bank of India (Vinod Pandey 12′, Ranjeet Pandre 19′ and Sameer Swamy 24′) 3-2 Millat FC (Kamran Siddiqui 52′ and Kalpesh Rane 63′)

In the second game, Millat FC and Union Bank of India (UBI) played out a thriller. After taking a quick three-goal lead, UBI almost gave away the match as Millat FC displayed a scintillating performance in the second-half where they missed out by only a goal as UBI edged them 3-2 to progress into the quarter-final.

Vinod Pandey’s looping header opened the scoring for UBI in the 12th minute before Ranjeet Pandre’s low drive took a wicked deflection and ended up in the back of the net. UBI was completely steamrolling in the first half-an-hour. Sameer Swamy made it 3-0 in the 24th minute which totally took Millat FC off the path.

But just like they fought back in the Republic Day Cup 2018, Millat FC’s grit and dedication almost took the game into the penalties. In the second-half, Millat FC dominated the proceedings. Kamran Siddiqui cut short the deficit in the 52nd minute before Kalpesh Rane added another goal as suddenly Millat was only a goal behind to make an incredible comeback.

Rayyan Shaikh, Kalpesh, Kamran, Farhan Butt and Adnan Ishke had an outstanding second-half along with goalkeeper Anas Ishke who denied Shannon Pereira with two spectacular saves to keep the match alive. In the end, it was UBI who prevailed as their three first-half goals proved enough to send an energetic Millat FC side home.

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Western Railway (Anil Pawar 29′) 1-1 Dena Bank (Denzil Mascarenhas 85′) – Dena Bank won 6-5 via penalties

In the first encounter of Day 2, Elite Division side Western Railway faced in-form Super Division side Dena Bank in a closely-contested match. Dena Bank caused the first major upset of the tournament after defeating the Railway on penalties to qualify for the next round.

The first-half saw Western Railway keeping the major share of ball possession, whereas, Dena Bank looked quite danger while attacking. After taking their time to settle down, Western Railway broke the deadlock just before the half-an-hour mark when a precise cross from Asif was met by Anil Pawar’s looping header which sailed past Dena Bank’s goalkeeper.

Moments after conceding, Dena Bank almost levelled when Arafat Ansari and Denzil Mascarenhas combined well where the latter’s attempt struck the post. Dena Bank’s persistence finally paid off in the last stages of the match when Mervin Stephen fouled Denzil inside the box in the 84th minute.

Denzil stepped up and calmly made it 1-1 which took the match into the penalties where the Bankers edged past the Railways 6-5 to register a memorable victory.

Indian Navy (Anoop Pauly 14′ and Bibake Thapa 45′) 2-0 Kenkre FC

The second and final game of the day witnessed Indian Navy locking horns against a spirited Kenkre FC side. In what was an eventful match, Indian Navy breeze past a wasteful Kenkre FC 2-0 to set up a clash against Dena Bank in the quarter-final.

Indian Navy looked solid from the beginning. It took them just 14 minutes to open the scoring when Anoop Pauly made no mistake in front of the goal after Jibin set him up with a well-timed cross at the edge of the box. As the match progressed, Kenkre FC improved and started to bother Navy’s goalkeeper Vishnu, who along with Kenkre’s goalkeeper Manoj Gupta had a busy day at the office.

Kenkre’s concentration remained intact as they didn’t let Indian Navy dictate the play but in the 65th minute, Bibake Thapa followed a through ball and lobbed it over the onrushing Kenkre’s goalkeeper to strengthen the lead which took the match beyond Kenkre’s reach.

Later in the game, Kenkre were awarded a penalty when Shuntan was fouled inside the penalty box, Referee Elvis had no hesitation to point at the spot kick. But unfortunately, Calvin Baretto missed his penalty which proved to be quite fatal as it was their poor finishing which led to a defeat.

Indian Navy will face Dena Bank, whereas, yesterday winners Air India will play against KSA in the quarter-final. Tomorrow, Central Bank of India (CBI) is set to face HDFC while Union Bank of India (UBI) will meet Millat FC in an anticipating game at RCF Ground in Day 3 of Nadkarni Cup.

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Air India (Pratik Koli 6′ & 23′, Sagar Khanvilkar 16′ & 83′ and Santosh Koli 8′) 5-0 Mumbai Port Trust 

The opening game of the Tournament saw Air India locking horns against Mumbai Port Trust (MPT). In what turned out to be a drubbing, Air India registered a thumping 5-0 win, all thanks to their lethal finishing in the first-half.

It took the holders just six minutes to open the scoring when prolific striker Pratik Koli buried his effort past MPT’s onrushing goalkeeper Ashish Yadav who was way out of his position. Two minutes later, experienced defender Santosh Koli doubled Air India’s lead with a close tap-in after MPT’s backline failed to clear the initial corner.

The trio of Advait Shinde, Amey Bhatkal and Pratik Koli was too good for MPT. In the 16th minute, Amey’s incisive pass was met by Advait on the left flank whose pinpoint ball across the goal was headed in by unmarked Sagar Khanvilkar. With the match progressing, things kept getting worse for MPT. In the 23rd minute, Pratik Koli was on the mark again as he smartly put a delicate through ball by Advait into the back of the net which made it 4-0.

Air India had fielded a very young side yesterday with the likes of Amey Bhatkal, Advait Shinde, Yash Vanveru, Shubham Mane and Praveen C. starting the match. The second-half saw Air India wasting numerous opportunites to add to their tally, whereas, MPT were still struggling to respond. Sagar Khanvilkar scored the fifth and final goal in the 83rd minute to wrap a comfortable victory and book their place in the next round.

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In the last edition of Nadkarni Cup, Elite Division side Air India defeated PIFA Colaba 3-2 to clinch the title in what was their second consecutive final. A season before, Air India had lost to Mumbai FC in a closely-contested final. Pramod Pandey, Pratik Koli and Aaron D’Costa had scored one each against PIFA Colaba which helped them to emerge as Champions.

PIFA Colaba’s Elvis Ozawara won the ‘Player of the tournament’ award for his stunning performance throughout the campaign. Just like previous editions, Air India is firm favourites to lift the title again who is currently in a hot form, winning all their five Elite Division matches so far this season.

The likes of Union Bank of India, Mumbai Customs, Karnataka Sports Association, Western Railway, Indian Navy, PIFA Colaba, Central Bank of India will make the competition more exciting and thrilling, whereas, MPT, Century Rayon, Dena Bank, Bank of India, HDFC, Millat FC, Kenkre FC and Mumbai Strikers will be geared up to continue their fairy-tale run.

Nadkarni Cup 2018 Fixture

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Pramod Pandey (19^th minute), Pratik Koli (25^th minute) and Aaron D’Costa (45+2^nd) scored the goals for champs Air India, while Elvis Ozawara, who was named ‘Player of the tournament’, struck both the goals for PIFA, the first in the 41^st minute and the second from the penalty spot in the 89^th minute.

The Air India outfit, who had finished runners-up losing to Mumbai FC last year, dominated the first half to take control of the match. After some early misses, Air India finally found success when Pramod Pandey headed home from Prakash Thorat’s corner kick in the 19^thminute. Six minutes later they doubled the lead when from a swift counter-attack Vijith Shetty charged down the middle before switching the ball across to the right for D’Costa who in turn lobbed over PIFA goalkeeper Pritam Jadhav for Pratik Koli, who was left with the simple task of heading into an empty net.

PIFA seemed unfazed by those two setbacks and fought on gamely. Their hard-working Nigerian striker Ozawara capitalised on a misunderstanding between Air India goalkeeper Debasish Das and the defenders as he pounced on a loose ball and coolly slotted home.

However, PIFA conceded a silly goal in additional period of the first half and gave Air India a two goals cushion. Following a poor defensive clearance Thorat intercepted the ball at the edge of penalty area on the right side and pushed it into the path of D’Costa who from an acute angle fired an angular grounder past a helpless goalkeeper Jadhav who had no chance to make a save.

In the second period, PIFA were a transformed side and with the pep talk for coach Nirvan Shah at the break they player more aggressively and put up a stronger fight. Ozawara led the PIFA fightback but he lacked support upfront as they managed to launch a number of attacks on the Air India citadel but without much success.

Air India stopper Anuraj Sidhu who was under tremendous pressure fouled Ozawara inside the area and referee Louis Fernandes had no hesitation in awarding a penalty in the 89^thminute. Ozawara stepped forward and comfortably beat goalkeeper Das to the right-hand corner.

In the next minute, Sidhu was again guilty of another foul on Ozawara, this time just outside the box and he was shown a second yellow card and subsequently sent off.

Surprisingly Ozawara who had fallen by the tackle was told to leave the field for to receive medical attention and not allowed to take the free-kick and with that PIFA hopes of getting an crucial equalizer ended.

The victorious Air India outfit received the coveted Nadkarni Cup and the winners cash award of Rs one lakh from Chief Guest, — , director , RCF and Britto.

PIFA Colaba were presented with the runners-up trophy and a cash prize of Rs 60,000. PIFA Colaba’s Elvis Ozawara was declared the ‘Player of the Tournament’ and he received a cash prize of Rs 10,000.

Results – RCF-Nadkarni Cup (final): Air India 3 (Pramod Pandey 19^th, Pratik Koli 25^th, Aaron D’Costa 45+2^nd) beat PIFA Colaba 2 (Elvis Ozawara 41^st, 89^th-pen).

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The Winger found the back of the net in the 2^nd minute of additional period of the first half to help Mumbai FC regain the trophy which they had last won in 2011.

Following the match, Steven Dias spoke about his days in Air India, upcoming season of I-League and the strength of his current club Mumbai FC in an exclusive interview with Footballcounter.

When asked how he felt scoring against his Ex Club Air India, Steven said: “Of course it felt good, I played two years for Air India (2001-2003) where I started my career under Bimal Ghosh. It’s always like I know all these players and they know how I play so it’s not easy to score against a strong team like Air India.”

“Although scoring in the Final and winning it 1-0 on top of that, it felt amazing.” Steven further added.

Steven Dias, who had played in Indian Super League (ISL) for Delhi Dynamos last season was surprised to see his name not picked by any of the franchise in this year ISL draft. That’s when Mumbai FC came calling and it seems Steven has taken each advantage of it.

“Mumbai FC is very important to me as I was not chosen in ISL (Indian Super League) drafts so I always wanted to join a team where I can come back and show what I am capable of.”

It is not even three months since Steven Dias joined Mumbai FC and he has already bagged a trophy with his new club.

“Mumbai FC gave me the opportunity and now I have got one more chance to prove myself. It is very important for me to concentrate and as it is our first trophy of the season we need to improve further so that we can be prepared for the upcoming I-League campaign.”

Speaking about Mumbai FC’s strength, Steve added: “We have a very good team, or one can say a very balanced team. If you see our bench strength, it is fantastic.”

He further added, “Whichever team has a good bench strength they are very strong.”

Steven Dias expressed his take on the ongoing Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) Elite Division.

“Elite Division has good teams. We have played Union Bank of India (UBI), Karnataka Sports Association (KSA), these teams are amazing and if we win by big margins in Elite division then we have a good chance to perform better in I-League.”

Mumbai FC are currently having a perfect start in Elite Division where they are yet to draw or lose any game.

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Star striker Neil Gaikwad continued his goal scoring form with a fine 25 yards strike which turned out to be the winning goal.

Although Kenkre FC played their heart out against the mighty Air India as they managed to kept their attacking spearheads quiet for the majority of the match.

Air India who has been scoring goals for fun in this year’s Tournament were finding it difficult to penetrate into their defense.

On the 10th minute, Neil Gaikwad gave Air India a 1-0 lead, where he found the net from 25 yards. From here onwards, Kenkre FC stood like a wall infront of the goals.

Taha Kachwala, Samuel Bradley were the attacking spearheads for Kenkre but Air India too showed their defensive qualities to shut down Kenkre.

On the brink of the half-time, Kenkre FC’s head coach Salim Pathan was shown marching orders for reacting against Referee’s decision.

Kenkre’s Prathamesh Rokade came close to equalize when his curling effort was well saved by Air India’s Ubaid CK on the 54th minute.

Minutes later, Air India’s Aaron D’Costa was set on goal by Raynier Fernandes, the former controlled the ball on the edge of the box and lashed his shot towards the left hand post but only to see his shot getting blocked by Kenkre’s Shivakumar.

Air India again came close to double their narrow lead when Sunny Thakur launched a right footed shot which sailed over the bar.

Kenkre FC started to push their players up to find a late equalizer but Air India held their nerves to register a hard fought win to make their way into the Final, which will be played on Monday against either Mumbai FC or Mumbai Customs.

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Taisuke’s sublime finish midway into the first-half proved to be the only goal of this quarter-final clash.

Union Bank of India gave tough fight to Mumbai FC in both the half as the victors were finding it hard to penetrate into Union Bank of India’s defense. Mumbai FC, who has been scoring for fun this season were kept quiet for the majority of the match.

Although Taisuke’s goal on the 22nd minute gave Mumbai FC a much needed lead, Union Bank of India kept threatening Mumbai’s back four.

Just minutes after Taisuke’s goal, Sandesh Gadkari could have doubled Mumbai’s lead.

Japanese recruit Taisuke found Sandesh unmarked on the edge of the box with a delightful through ball, the number 14 cut inside and launched a powerful shot which was tipped over the bar by Union Bank of India’s goalkeeper Sheldon Raghwan.

Union Bank of India started the second-half from where they left. The Bankers had a much better and improved 45 minutes.

Mumbai FC did got enough number of chances in the second-half but their poor finishing kept haunting them for the rest of the half.

Mumbai’s striker Sandesh Gadkari saw his header rattled the post on the 69th minute, had his header went in it should have seal the match for Mumbai FC right there.

Four minutes later, N.P Pradeep too fancied his shot from distance which sailed over the bar.

Union Bank of India’s Valentine Pereira, Nascimento Santiago and Royston D’Souza were proving out to be UBI’s standout players. Mumbai’s back four were finding it difficult to stop their build-up as the Bankers were geared up for the equalizer.

This made Mumbai FC’s back four to press UBI’s attackers to restrict them, and it did succeed in the late stages of the match.

Union Bank of India’s substitute Tejas Raut and Mrunal Tandel tried to make the impact upfront but Mumbai held their nerves to overcome the Bankers.

With this win, Mumbai FC has qualifed for the Semi-Finals where they will meet Mumbai Customs on 28th November.

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