Bandra lads beat St Paul’s, while Matunga outfit outplay St Joseph’s Secondary School 5-0 in quarter-finals
Deepak Khadka (2nd from left) of St Stanislaus and Vedant Gajamal of St Paul’s vie for the ball, while Divesh Kudekar (2nd from right) looks on at the St Francis D’Assisi HS ground, Borivli. Pics/Atul Kamble
Attacking midfielder Divesh Kudekar, 15, played a significant role, scoring the all-important goal to help St Stanislaus (Bandra) register a 1-0 win against St Paul’s (Dadar) in an absorbing boys’ U-16 Div-I quarter-final play-off match of the MSSA inter-school football tournament at the St Francis D’Assisi HS ground, Borivli, on Friday.
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The Bandra schoolboys enjoyed more ball possession and created the better chances as compared to their opponents who played aggressively, but could not penetrate deep into the rival territory.
Don Bosco scorers Yohaan Panjuani and Arya Kamble (right)
After a barren first half, Stanislaus broke the deadlock in the fifth minute on resumption. Divesh, after intercepting a clearance by St Paul’s goalkeeper Mrunal Sutar, showed good presence of mind to cleverly volley over the advanced custodian into an empty net.
Also Read: MSSA news: Campion produce a stellar display
‘Tough match’
“It was an extremely tough game and I’m excited that my goal has helped our school enter the semi-finals. We will play against the winners of the quarter-final between Campion [Colaba] and Christ Church [Byculla]. Our team is determined to reach the final and become champions,” Divesh said.
Meanwhile, defending champions Don Bosco (Matunga) charged to a 5-0 win against St Joseph’s Secondary School (Malad) to cruise into the semi-finals. Yohaan Panjuani and Arya Kamble, both netted a brace each, while Christiano Fernandes scored one to complete the tally.
Later, in Division-II matches, Nathan Barretto’s twin strikes helped St Joseph’s (Wadala) beat St Anne’s (Orlem) 3-0. Swastik Poojary added the third goal for St Joseph’s.
Scottish beat Holy Family
In another match, Bombay Scottish (Powai) prevailed over Holy Family (Andheri) 2-1. Aman Nambiar and Yash Vashisht were on target for Scottish, while Holy Family scored through Harshit Suvarna.
Lilavati Podar (Santacruz) proved too strong for Lakshdham (Goregaon), winning 7-0. Adwaita Goritiyal netted four goals, while Keegan Crasto netted two and Atulya Jain scored one.
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