RN Podar beat Fatima 2-1 in keen tussle

RN Podar’s Tanish Jain (left) celebrates with a teammate after scoring v Fatima School in Borivli yesterday. Pic/Satej Shinde

RN Podar (Santacruz) were not exactly convincing in their performance, but somehow thwarted the challenge from Fatima School (Vidyavihar) with a narrow 2-1 win in a keenly contested boys U-16 third division clash of the MSSA inter-school football tournament at St Francis D'Assisi ground, Borivli, on Friday.

Marwan Agashe netted the opener for RN Podar in as early as the fourth minute, but Fatima School came back strongly and deservingly earned a penalty when Danish Shaikh was fouled inside the danger area. Fatima School skipper Nash D'Souza stepped up and converted from the spot to make it 1-1 in the 11th minute.

After the change of ends, RN Podar took the lead again, this time through Tanish Jain, who scored off a free-kick mid-way through the second half. Stunned by the reversal, the Fatima boys strived hard for the equaliser, but couldn't breach the RN Podar defence.

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The second match of the day saw Billabong International (Malad) hold St Xavier's High School (Fort) 1-1. Aarav Reddy scored a last-gasp equaliser off a flag-kick after Revanth Koyyala had given the Fort school a deserving lead in the first half.