St Joseph’s girls tightened their defence and pushed forward in search of goals, but Dhirubhai Ambani’s backline stood firm to see out the game comfortably
Dhirubhai Ambani’s Eva Gupta during the match vs Carmel of St Joseph on Wednesday. Pic/Nimesh Dave
Riding high on Eva Gupta’s brace, Dhirubhai Ambani International School (BKC) stormed into the semi-finals of the Dream Sports Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) girls U-16 Division-II inter-school football tournament with a 2-0 win over Carmel of St Joseph (Malad), at Wings Sports Centre, Bandra, on Wednesday.
For Dhirubhai Ambani, the win carried greater significance than just securing a last-four berth. Last season, they were unable to register their team since the MSSA tournament began in the first week of August, before the school’s academic year had commenced. Their absence meant an automatic relegation to Div-II this season. However, they responded to the setback in emphatic fashion by topping their group this season and are now one win away from getting back to Div-I (both finalists are promoted to the top tier).
As the kick-off whistle blew, Dhirubhai Ambani looked intent on taking charge. Eva broke the deadlock in the eighth minute with a precise strike from outside the box that sailed into the top-right corner. Six minutes later, she doubled her tally with another curling effort from distance as Dhirubhai Ambani led 2-0 at half-time. After the break, the Carmel of
St Joseph’s girls tightened their defence and pushed forward in search of goals, but Dhirubhai Ambani’s backline stood firm to see out the game comfortably.
Reflecting on her team’s progress, Eva said, “Last year’s non-participation was a disappointment, but we practised hard this year, and are happy with the result. We will definitely fight harder to not just get back into Div-I, but to also win this title.”
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