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.

Also Read: Ambitious FA U-14 and U-16 qualify for 2018 Mumbai Games Knockouts

Also Read: MDFA to hold trials for Girls Inter-District Football Championship

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Over 200+ young footballers participated in the event hosted at the Cooperage Stadium, Mumbai with the event open to footballers aged under-13, under-15 & under 18. The under-13 age group played a 5-a-side game; the under-15 age group played an 8-a-side game while the under-18 age group played an 11-a-side game.

Apart from the competition, PIFA also organized a fun-filled activity based as well as a Skills contest in which the participants were judged upon 3 main categories which were; Dribbling; Passing & Shooting. Workshops were organised for parents simultaneously, which were based on social cause mainly focusing on the balance of football and education. Apart from this, even the importance of playing football, diet and time management were discussed.

There were around 10 volunteers involved who worked very hard on and off the pitch. At the end of the 2-day event, the participants along with their parents got a huge surprise as Indian Super League professional footballer Siddharth Singh from Jamshedpur FC (PIFA student) came and gave them a talk about his past experiences at PIFA and how he went on to make his Indian Super League debut!

PIFA also conducted a workshop for adults aged 18 to 50 years of age which involved a small sided game 8v8 at Stanislaus Ground, Bandra in Mumbai on 7 May 2018. The workshop included a discussion with these adults wherein Nirvan Shah the CEO of PIFA spoke about the health benefits of exercising and how it helps overcome social anxiety and stress-related issues.

Another event was conducted an open age group workshop for Women at the PIFA Bandra centre on 10 May 2018, in which they got a free 1-hour training session conducted by PIFA accredited professional coaches. They also got an important talk about women’s empowerment through sports and the health benefits. Adhuna Akhtar Bhabani, CEO of BBlunt was also participated in this event and washappy to see young women participating in football and playing with passion.

The various programs affected over 500 players, parents and volunteers.

Also Read: Indian football gets a boost as AIFF prepare to join new Asian football federation

Also Read: MDFA to hold trials for WIFA Inter-district Football

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The first match of the day between MSSA and Mumbai Rush was an eventful encounter where MSSA registered a fine 2-0 victory at Cooperage Stadium to sit at the top of Group B (Maharashtra Zone). MSSA started brightly as they kept on creating numerous opportunities and just within fifteen minutes, a sublime goal by Duane D’Souza from close range open the scoring.

Vedant Pingle and Yashwant Naik had an impressive game for Rush but the duo couldn’t manage to break MSSA’s resolute defence. Rush’s Custodian Kyros Chaves made some key saves throughout the game to keep the match alive.

MSSA doubled their lead in the second-half when Karsten D’Souza curling corner somehow managed to sneak past Rush’s backline and their goalkeeper into the back of the net. After conceding their second goal, Rush did push forward to at least cut short the deficit but once again, MSSA’s backline stood firm and strong to register their second victory of the campaign.

In the second match of the day, PIFA and FC Mumbaikars had to share the spoils in a 0-0 draw at Cooperage. The draw earned both the outfits their first point of the qualifying campaign.

Right from the kick-off, PIFA was on front foot. Kausthub Meher, Parag Dhanur, and Shawan Vanappa had a superb game for the boys in blue. FC Mumbaikars somehow defended on their lives to earn a hard-fought point against an energetic and spirited PIFA side.

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In what turned out to be a closely-contested clash, Kenkre FC managed to overcome PIFA Sports 2-0, courtesy of a splendid second-half display where Diparnika Dey and Manisha scored one each to give Kenkre FC an all-important win.

Right from the beginning of the game, PIFA and Kenkre were quite compact in their defensive structure. Both the sides sat back and soaked the pressure from the attackers in hope to launch a counter-attack against the run of play. PIFA’s Suparna came agonizingly close to open the scoring when she was set up by Sneha Manchkar on the right flank. Although, Suparna only managed to hit her effort wide of the post.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Kenkre’s forward Mamta wreaked havoc after coming close on numerous occasions. She has been on an incredible form throughout the Campaign along with attacker Manisha. At the break, the score was still locked at 0-0.

The second-half brought fortunes for Kenkre as they stepped up their intensity and tempo to slowly dictate the match proceedings. Just before Suparna and Deepika Masurkar missed a glorious chance for PIFA, Diparnika Dey scored a sublime goal on the other end to give Kenkre FC a crucial lead.

With the time running out, Kenkre FC was awarded a free-kick just outside the box. Manisha took advantage from the initial cross, made a twisted turn into the box and scored Kenkre’s second goal of the game to wrap up the game in a stellar way.

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Neel Shal (left)

A product of the Premier India Football Academy (PIFA), Neel showed his passion for football at an early age, he trained at the Colaba back garden for Campion School & PIFA. He represented Maharashtra in the Under-13 and Under-15 AIFF national tournaments. He was the youngest debutant in the MDFA Elite division making his debut for the PIFA Colaba men’s team at the age of sixteen, and he went on to play the AIFF I-League 2^nd Division & I-league U-19 tournament aged 17.

He was recently awarded an Honours Degree in Football Studies and Business at Southampton, UK while captaining his university football team which competed against other universities having players from English Premier League academies.

He has trained under UEFA “Pro & A” licensed coaches at internationally renowned youth academies – such as the Bobby Charlton, Liverpool FC, Everton FC, UK; Hristo Stoichkov Academy in Barcelona, Spain; and AC Milan Academy, Italy.

“This talented, tall young lad has come a long way. Being left footed and quick will make him an asset to any team” – Gary Lewis (ex-Head of Youth Development, Liverpool FC 2008–2014 coach & current Philadelphia Union U14 head coach)  had this to say while awarding best skills player to Neel at a summer camp to Liverpool International Academy in 2011.

PIFA Director’s Anjali & Nirvan Shah could not be prouder of their twenty two-year-old son, Neel, and hopes for the best in his footballing endeavors.

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