A second half brace by Roger Sam coupled with a 26th minute goal from Sanchit Singh was the cornerstone for the win.

Aman Gaikwad did pull one back for CFCI in the 61st minute but it proved to be a mere consolation in the end.

Though CFCI had started off well it was KSA who drew first blood as Singh hit home off Nascimentos’ assist. It surely made up for him missing a gilt-edged chance just a few minutes back!

It was soon 2-0 in the 48th minute as Roger headed in off a superb free kick off former India veteran Steven Dias from the right flank.

That goal was enough proof that experience is surely an asset for any team!

Also, Joe Paul was superb under the bar for KSA as he pulled off a string of fantastic saves to keep CFCI at bay.

The first half ended 2-0 to KSA and though Gaikwad did reduce the deficit later on still there was absolutely no doubt as to which team was going home with the honors.

CFCI battled hard but they were up against an hardened outfit whose defending resembled a brick wall at times!

The quartet of Nascimento, Dias, Paul and Sam rose to the occasion and delivered when it mattered the most.

Of course, Sam’s goal in the 90th minute was the icing on the cake as he hit home off a rebound and finished things off.

CFCI did have their moments though. Pratik Koli’s near goal miss from the right in the 74th minute proved that they did have the ammunition to threaten and score against the more experienced teams.

They also defended well for most part of the game and ensured that the margin of defeat was only 3-1.

They surely can take heart from this performance and use it as a springboard for the future.

A battling performance against a team chock-a-bloc with hardened veterans can be a catalyst for greater things to come!

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SGI will be providing them with on and off field representation whilst aiding them in their all-round career development. Indian under-23 internationals Jayesh Rane and Rahul Bheke, Ex- Afghanistan captain Zohib Islam Amiri, ‘India’s David Beckham’ Steven Dias, and Rohit Mirza has joined SGI’s stable with the group of players now awaiting news of their next destinations for the upcoming campaign.

SGI will guide the players from now on and will help them to choose the right direction on and off the field. It’s a terrific move to acquire the services of the players who are quite popular among the fans in India.

Most importantly, SGI Board of Directors has made it crystal clear that financial rewards from the work in the player representation market will be re-invested into grassroots development business which will provide an eco-system to the game.

Aizawl FC and I-league winner Jayesh Rane is extremely delighted by joining SGI: “I am extremely happy to sign with Sporting Group International. Adrian and Karan have a long-term plan for me, which I am confident of achieving with them. I look forward to working with them.”

Former Mumbai FC defender Rahul Bheke commented: “I’m very excited to begin this.  I completely trust my decision to join with them and cannot wait to join forces.  Together we will make it big.”

After signing with SGI, Amiri said: “Born and raised in Afghanistan, India feels like home now. I thank Adrian and Karan for the association with SGI and this huge international tie up.  I can’t wait to get started!”

Many players from SGI will be up for grabs in the upcoming ISL drafts which have also opened the door for the rest of the players who have missed out in the previous season. Lots of work still to be done but SGI is surely taking the right steps.

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Apart from Santosh Kashyap’s new journey, there shall be another chapter which will be written over by none other than Steven Dias who has been appointed as the new Captain of Mumbai FC for the upcoming season.

Following the departure of Taisuke Matsugae, Jayesh Rane, Ashutosh Mehta, Minchol Son, a new journey lies ahead of ‘Indian Beckham’ Steven Dias when he takes the centre stage on Sunday.

“I feel very happy to captain Mumbai FC. It was one of my dreams to wear the captain armband for my city and Santosh Sir has made this possible for which I feel very grateful. A tough challenge lies ahead of this new journey but I think with the right mentality we can achieve big and overcome all the hurdles,” Steven Dias on being named as the new captain.

When asked about Mumbai FC’s very own Yellow Brigade, Steven Dias stated how important the fans are to the club and the role Yellow Brigade played last season when Mumbai FC finished fifth.

“Yellow Brigade has played a vital role in Mumbai FC’s brilliant performance at home last season. What surprised me is that each one of them cheered for the team throughout the ninety minutes which is quite fascinating. I have been to Goa, Kolkata, but believe me, they are the best I’ve come across.

Even when you look at our last season performance, we have struggled away from home and one of the reasons was away support which has not been the same as home support. I expect the fans to turn up in away matches this season which will be a major boost for each one of us,” Steven expressed.

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Steven Dias, as most distinctively and fondly one can recollect him, has an unignorable career, which is winding down. But Monday afternoon’s display against a Customs side, had a very exciting feel to it, as Dais made marks from the margin scoring three times, and playing a pivotal part in a fairytale-like performance.

The first-45 minutes of the match, both teams had a host of opportunities at their end of the bargain to put the ball in the back of the net than shooting wide. On one such occasion, Mumbai FC broke the deadlock to grab hold of the momentum, proceeding into the second-half matters. Shilton D’Silva’s goal-bound effort had left little room for goalkeeper Rihaz Koya to save the shot.

The second half of the match averaged a goal every four and half minutes, as 10 goals were orchestrated, with Dias scoring a quarter of them. The Mumbai FC no.23 helped set up Karan Sawhney, for the striker’s hat-trick.

Karan Sawhney raised and pulled the curtains to a highly greeting performance, opening his account in the 58th minute and completing his hat-trick with a goal from the spot in the dying moments of the match.

In a maddening final 15 minutes and a hefty chunk of stoppage time, the game barely settled or slowed down for either side to manage any real foothold in the match.

Nikhil Kadam scored Mumbai FC’s third to put his side firmly in control. After five minutes of end-to-end football, Steven Dias got his breakthrough goal. His opposite number in the Custom ranks Charles Miranda produced a show of his own, as the no.23 added his name to the scorer’s sheet.

A minute later, Dias replied with a fine and cleanly struck goal to double his tally of goals and restore the side’s four-goal cushion. And just as Rilando Fernandes’ strike went inside the goal in the 85th minute, Dias stepped-up again to complete his hat-trick, right after the restart.

An oblivion of hope for a comeback rumoured a few miles from the spot, Custom’s Sagar scored his third and final goal of the afternoon on 87 minutes. But as the match headed into added time, Karan Sawhney’s hugger to manoeuvre a goal, resulted in the striker’s much-anticipated second goal on 92 minutes.

As the match reached its conclusion, Mumbai FC were granted with a chance to add another – to an already glittering scoreline and team performance – from the spot; Karan Sawhney converted, making a statement of intent.

The post Steven Dias and Karan score 3-each as Mumbai FC beats Mumbai Customs 8-3 appeared first on Football Counter.

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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