Impressive MYJ makes Cooperage smile again in I-League 2

MYJ-GMSC’s Himanshu Patil (third from left) is thwarted by Sporting Club Bengaluru goalkeeper Gagandeep Singh (in black) during their I-League 2 match at Cooperage on Friday. Pics/Ashish Raje

Young kids with their enthusiastic parents jostled for space alongside some of the city's veteran football followers, including administrators from Mumbai Football Association (MFA) and the Western Indian Football Association (WIFA), besides former national and international players and coaches as national-level football returned to the iconic Cooperage after over a decade. Hosts MYJ-GMSC did not disappoint the 823-strong turnout either, battling for a 3-3 draw against Sporting Club Bengaluru (SCB) in their I-League 2 campaign opener on Friday.

It was a story of two halves with the hosts waking up late, conceding two soft goals in the first, only to fight back in the second. Silly defensive errors by MYJ first up saw OM Asif and S Devadath put the visitors 2-0 up. The second half though was a stark contrast, as MYJ right winger Shravan Shetty turned up the pace a few notches to set up goals for Kiran Pandhare and Arvindraj Rajan. But just as the hosts were celebrating the equaliser, SCB went ahead through Karthick Thirumalai before MYJ's Ashish Lalge netted the equaliser.

Enthusiastic fans soak in the atmosphere at Cooperage on Friday

The excitement of the game notwithstanding, for the city's old-timers though, it was the charm of national-level football returning to Cooperage that mattered. "I've played some of my best club and State [Maharashtra] matches here. It's a great venue. Unfortunately, we don't see action now as the Indian Super League ties are played at Andheri, while the Mumbai League is held at the Neville D'Souza turf in Bandra. I hope this venue can host more national-level football as it used to," former India vice-captain and Air India stalwart Godfrey Pereira told mid-day.

Veteran coach Bimal Ghosh was also in the stands. "The vibe of Cooperage is totally different. It was great to see so many families and kids fill up the stands today. Also, it was a good contest. Had MYJ begun a little more sharply, they could have owned the full three points," Ghosh told mid-day.