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Twelve teams took to the field on the second day in the knockout format tournament conducted by the Western India Football Association.
Akola, Thane, Ahmednagar, Nagpur, Pune, Nandurbar, Sangli, Amravati, Nanded, Latur, Gondia and Mumbai were involved in the six matches that saw the winners progress to the quarterfinals.
The action began with Thane District taking on Akola District in a match that saw stiff competition on the pitch. Akola emerged the winner thanks to the winner by Arbaaz Hussain after Aasif Khan had opened the scoring for Akola early on. Mehank Karki from Thane scored the equalizer but couldn’t capitalize on the momentum.
Final Score: Akola 2-1 Thane (Aasif Khan 5, Arbaaz Hussain 30, Mehank Karki 19)
Ahmednagar District took on the Nagpur District in the second match of the day. The side from Nagpur dominated the match and emerged victorious with three goals as Prince Singh, Anurag Chandade and Pushpak Sagode got their names on the scoresheet for Nagpur.
Final Score: Ahmednagar 0-3 Nagpur (Prince Singh 5, Anurag Chandade 48, Pushpak Sagode 56)
Pune District faced off against Nandurbar District and completely dominated the proceedings as they won by a massive nine goals. Mustafa Shaikh was the standout performer for Pune grabbing four goals for his side.
Final Score: Pune 9-0 Nandurbar (Franklin Nazareth 1,42 ,Mustafa Shaikh 8,16,52,59 Swami Shekhar 21, Fardeen Shaikh 36, Pratham Yadav 47)
Sangli District and Amravati District clashed in a great end to end clash but Sangli fell short in the attacking third as Amravati’s Rushikesh Gupta and Roman Khan edged it for Amravati in the end.
Final Score: Sangli 0-2 Amravati (Rushikesh Gupta 43, Roman Khan 60+1)
The host team Nanded District took on Latur District in a match that saw both teams compete strongly on the field. Nanded had the crowd support in large numbers and held their nerves in the end as they won 3-2 in the penalty shootout.
Final Score: Latur 1-1 Nanded (Mohd.Umar 31, Omkar Pawar 45) (Nanded win 3-2 on penalties)
Mumbai District played their first match in the tournament and stamped their authority with a five-goal win over Gondia District. Twin strikers from Karsten D’souza and a goal a piece from Jaden Irani, Aditya Shah and Anuj Shelar completed the five goal rout for Mumbai.
Final Score: Mumbai 5-0 Gondia (Jaden Irani 1, Aditya Shah 5, Karsten D’souza 10,14, Anuj Shelar 18)
The quarterfinals action continues tomorrow in Nanded as the final eight vie for a place in the semifinals of the Inter-district Tournament.
