The last year has been a brilliant one for Mumbai Strikers SC as they registered 3 wins in the Mumbai Football League Super Division campaign. On 3rd January 2016, the Strikers ushered into the New Year with a valiant win over West Zone United. It was a hard-fought encounter and it was very clear from the start that the opponents were not a team that could be taken lightly. The match was held at the Goan Sports Association Grounds.
The match was exciting from the start as there were quick transitions owing to the small size of the field. As expected it was a physical and aggressive vendetta which went down to the wire. Mumbai Strikers SC had a wonderful first half as the in form Ravish D’souza put them in the drivers seat with a fluent header off a corner which was exquisitely fed in by Pranav M.
The second half was a kind of a table-turner as West Zone United seemed to have attacked more than their opponent. Just when it seemed as if they equalized, MS goalkeeper Leon M pulled off a save of a sure scoring chance to keep the lead safe. However, immediately another corner kick earned by the Strikers helped them extend their lead to 2-0 as Ravish D headed the ball in with none of the defenders having a chance to save it. Another Pranav M corner was deflected right to Ravish’s head who saw it comfortably go into the net. The game then took a nasty turn for the Strikers with West Zone piling up the pressure on the defense. In spite of some tight defending by the Strikers, West Zone managed to come back into the game as the forward line baffled three defenders to go right in and score a clinical goal. The score stood at 2-1 with MS still in the lead. It wasn’t over yet as West Zone United saw a chance of a comeback and they managed to come right into the penalty area once again. The effort on the second post hit the upright and just before it could cross the line, MS wing back Karan P cleared it safely. The game was marred with some controversial decisions by the referee which did not go down well with some players on the field and added to the aggressiveness. However, the MS defense were then much more alert and made sure none of their efforts were converted. The final whistle of the referee was music to the ears as MS registered their 4th win of the season.
MS Head Coach Firmin D’souza was pleased with the performance and also admitted that much work needs to be done for future matches. MSSC dedicated this win to Coach Firmin’ grandfather, Mr. Charlie Fernandez who passed away on 2nd Jan 2016 and said a prayer for his eternal rest.