Don Bosco HS beat their International counterparts to emerge U-14 champions

Don Bosco High School boys U-14 team with the Utpal Shanghvi Cup at Cooperage on Tuesday. Pic/Shadab Khan

Formidable Don Bosco High School (Matunga) encountered a strong challenge from a determined Don Bosco International (DBI), Matunga, but managed to score a winner at the death and snatch a narrow 1-0 win in the final of the Utpal Shanghvi Cup boys' under-14 knockout MSSA inter-school football tournament at Cooperage on Tuesday.

Adair scores winner

Adair D'Souza, 13, the left winger tapped in the all-important winner in the 40th minute to secure the win. The MSSA under-14 first division champions Don Bosco dominated play from the start, but the International schoolboys put up a dogged display and defended stoutly to cut off the repeated raids from the marauding rival attackers.

As the match seemed to be heading for a goalless stalemate and forcing the penalty shootout tie-breaker the High School boys managed another raid towards the rival goal. The DBI left wing back rushed in and managed to clear the ball, but it landed perfectly for Adair who was left with an easy tap in, which he coolly converted much to the cheer of his teammates.

Also Read: Don Bosco, Cathedral storm into MSSA under-14 final

St Mary's finish third

Earlier, St Mary's ICSE (Mazagaon) defeated St Paul's High School (Dadar) 3-2 via the tie-breaker in the third place match. St Paul's suffered their second successive defeat in the penalty shootouts after having lost the semi-finals 3-2 to Don Bosco International earlier last week. For St Mary's the players who managed to convert from the spot were Adhyaay Shetty, Eustace D'Souza and Moksh Soni, while St Paul's only managed to score two through Gururaj Mane and Vilas Walke and finished on the losing side.