Don Bosco's Harolo Fernandes (left) vies for the ball against St Francis' Souvardhan Shetty during the Nike-MSSA inter-school Div I U-16 football tournament at St Xavier's Ground in Parel yesterday. PIC/ VISHAL KELKAR

LAST year's runners-up St Francis D'Assisi (Borivli) are in the doldrums after failing to qualify for the quarter-finals of the MSSA football tournament.

The Borivli school, which has a deep-rooted footballing tradition, lost to Don Bosco (Matunga) 0-2 in the league match of the Nike-MSSA inter-school Div I U-16 football tournament at St Xavier's Ground in Parel yesterday.
The loss is difficult to digest as St Francis now faces the threat of relegation for the first time in decades. The move from first division to the second will be a painful one.

Under pressure

"We played our hearts out but failed to get a break. We beat them last year but this year we weren't all there," said defender Souvardhan Shetty.

"We were under a lot of pressure because we knew that we had only two choices and both were difficult ones. Either we would go through to the play-offs or would be demoted. We needed a draw to stay in the competition but after they scored, we found it difficult to strike back. We tried our best but were unsuccessful," added the Standard X student.     

Coach Thomas Baretto expected much more from his team.

"They were playing under tremendous pressure as it was a do-or-die situation. If we had levelled with Bosco then we would have had a fair chance to stay in the first division. But after losing by two goals we have a slim chance of staying.

"This is a historic defeat as we have broken a rich tradition. We have ruled the first division for so long and for something like this to happen is really sad. This was something I couldn't have imagined," said a devastated Baretto.