Hill Spring fail to capitalise on first strike and end up losing 1-2 in boys' U-16 Division-III quarters
Colaba Municipal's Mashak Shaikh celebrates scoring against NSS Hill Spring International in the MSSA boys U-16 Divison III football match at the Neville Du00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0099Souza Ground in Bandra yesterday. Pic/Atul Kamble
Colaba Municipal Secondary School (Colaba) produced a strong, fighting performance to overcome a spirited challenge from NSS Hill Spring International School (Tardeo) 2-1 in the boys' U-16 Division-III quarter-final match of the MSSA inter-schools football tournament, at the Neville D'Souza Ground in Bandra yesterday. In a keenly-contested match between two evenly-balanced outfit, the fare dished out was quite exciting as both sides played an open attacking game. Hill Spring wrested the initiative with an early strike when Jahan Kapadia scored from a snap effort in the fourth minute.
Ganesh restores parity
Stung by that setback, the Colaba schoolboys regrouped to take the fight to the rival camp. They did not take too long to restore parity as eight minutes later, Ganesh Sirigiri provided the perfect assist for Jay Rathod to connect home. Hill Spring were a bit more dominant after changing ends and created better chances, but they could not capitalise from the opportunities. The Colaba school who managed a couple of counterattacks did well to snatch the lead in the 37th minute.
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Mashak scores winner
Captain Prakash was quick to pounce on a loose ball on the right side of rival box and he quickly switched it across for an unmarked Mashak Shaikh to guide the ball into the net and break the hearts of the Hill Spring lads. Mashak, 13, was over the moon after the victory. "This is a good win for us and we proved that we have the capability to compete against any team. Today's success will further boost our confidence for the semi-finals. We will play as if we are playing for the title and give it our best shot," Mashak told mid-day. Earlier, Hiranandani Foundation School (Powai) eked out a close 1-0 win against Diamond Jubilee High School (Mazagon) in another Last Eight encounter. Central defender Dev Gogia scored after receiving a pass from Arnav Jhamb's flag-kick in the 21st minute. Hiranandani will meet Colaba Municipal School in the semi-final tomorrow.
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