Maneckji Cooper beat Army Public School 4-3 on penalties to clinch under-16 Div III crown
Maneckji Cooper School (Juhu) players pose with the MSSA inter-school U-16 Div III trophy at Azad Maidan yesterday. PIC/SURESH KARKERA
Midfielder Aman Khanna turned out to be star for Maneckji Cooper (Juhu) as his three saves proved to be the difference for his side's 4-3 win via penalties against Army Public School (Colaba) in the final of the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA)-organised inter-school under-16 Division III tournament at Azad Maidan yesterday.
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Under hot and humid conditions, both teams set out with the right intent of attacking the opposition. The Juhu outfit began as favourites. They were extremely fast on the field and displayed good dribbling skills. Army Public School fought hard and communicated well amongst themselves, but failed to penetrate the opposition defence. At half-time both sides remained goalless. After the lemon break, pressure started to build in both camps. Maneckji Cooper and Army Public School tried their best to score, but failed until the final whistle.
Runners-up Army Public School (Colaba) players with their medals yesterday. PIC/ SURESH KARKERA
Maneckji play smart
During the sudden death, Maneckji Cooper deployed a smart move. They replaced regular goalkeeper Keertan Shetty with Aman in a bid to upset the opposition. The trick worked. The wily midfielder managed to punch back shots from Rahul Jaspal, Kartavya Kaushik and Karan Vasdev. Aman also scored from the penalty spot along with skipper Ushain Gandhi, Dhritimaan Sriram and Omar Patel. For Army Public School, Sarang, Anish Singh and Harsh Jain netted a goal each. Coach of Maneckji Cooper, Tilak Raj said: "The boys have played very well. Luck favoured us during the penalty shoot out. I am very happy to have won the title for the second time after winning it for the first time in 2009."
Sacred Heart win
Meanwhile, Cambridge School (Kandivli) defeated Sacred Heart High School (Santacruz) 4-3 in penalties to clinch the third place. Khush Gohil, Ayman Shaikh, Ankit Limbu and Aryan Nevrekar scored for the Kandivli team, while Kane Semoies, Hitanshu Shah and James Katke netted one each for Sacred Heart.
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