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Mumbai Football Club featured versus M.S.S.A. in the finals of inaugural Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) Under-14 Youth League 2016. A solitary strike in the 41st minute from Rohan Fernando separated the two teams on full time to crown MSSA as champions.
MSSA began the game with intent, as the no.10 found himself in space and recorded the first attempt inside 50 seconds. But as the game began to take shape , Mumbai FC kept hold of the the ball well.
MSSA looking to play long balls into its strikers, caught the Mumbai FC defense off guard. MSSA provided some good link up play in the Mumbai FC half as the side looked to play on the break.
As the first half entered its final 10 minutes, both sides tried to play open attacking football in an attempt to break the deadlock. MSSA dragged their opportunity wide as the first-half ccame to a close.
MSSA started strongly as they tested the opposition goalkeeper on a couple of occasions. As the half progressed, Mumbai FC charged down MSSA to create chances of their own.
Both the teams dominated in patches, with MSSA breaking the deadlock in the 86th minute as no.14 Rohan Fernando scored.
With some excellent display of talent and team performances, the final of the under-14 was an absolute treat for the good turnout of spectators and for the response to the league as a whole.
As the referee blew the full-time whistle, MSSA were crowned the first winners of the MDFA U-14 Youth League. A 1-0 scoreline also meant the winners didn’t concede a goal throughout the tournament in normal time.
Both sides will take plenty of experiences from the season, which has nothing but had a successful first edition.
Goans hosted J.J. Academy in the third-place match of the inaugural Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) Under-14 Youth League 2016. A couple of brace goals from Goans’ Arya Gandharva and Suraj Kumar helped their side secure a 4-0 victory, guaranteeing a third place finish.
The hosts began the match brightly, as they pushed J.J. Academy into their own half, creating pressure from the offset. Goans had plenty of chances, but a strong performance in goal from J.J. Academy goalkeeper Rajesh Sonawane kept his side in the match for most parts of the first-half.,
Goans got themselves the opening goal of the match on 10 minutes, courtesy of Arya Gandharva’s strong shot from outside the box. In the aftermath of the opening strike, Goans completely dominated in and around J.J.’s final-third, hitting the post on a hatful of occasions.
The second-half did not start for J.J. as they would have hoped; a strong shot-on-goal from Arya Gandharva was pushed by J.J.’s goalkeeper straight into the path of no.15 Suraj Kumar, who failed to convert from the follow-up.
As the second-half matured, Goans saw two of their goal being flagged offside; as J.J. came seemingly close to an equalising goal on the opposite end. Around the 45 minute mark, J.J. no.10 Pratik Vaplkry found the right-hand post, the closest his team had come to scoring.
The second goal arrived for Goans in the 47th minute, when Arya Gandharva struck the ball hard and low from a long way out. A quick brace from Goans’ Suraj Kumar followed in the 52nd and 55th minute, which put the tie out of reach for J.J.
The half time scoreline of 1-0 to Goans was somewhat unconvincing considering the hosts of chances they had at their disposal. A battered second half display resulted in three goals to sum-up a 4-0 score as the referee blew the full-time whistle.
Results of the day (4thDecember 2016)
Lions Municipal Sports Complex
3rd Place
- Goans beat J.J. Academy [4-0]
o Goans – Arya Sunil Gandharva (2), Suraj Rambabu Kumar (2)
o J.J. Academy – NIL
Finals
- MSSA beat Mumbai F.C. [1-0]
o MSSA – Rohan Joseph
o Mumbai F.C. – NIL
Tournament Statistics:
- Number of matches played- 88
- Number of Goal scorers- 176
- Number of Goals Scored-375
- Number of players- 836
- Number of Teams- 39
