Bengaluru hold Johor in AFC Cup semis
A stunning left-footed strike by Eugeneson Lyngdoh earned Bengaluru FC a 1-1 draw and a crucial away goal in their AFC Cup first leg semifinal match against defending champions Johor Darul Ta'zim here on Wednesday.
Lyngdoh fired in a left-footed screamer from well outside the box to the left corner of the Johor net in the 57th minute after Jorge Pereyra Diaz had put the home side ahead in the 53rd minute at the Tan Sri Dato' Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium. This draw would give an advantage to the I-League champions in their quest for a historic final appearance in the AFC Cup, the continent's second tier club competition. Bengaluru play their second leg of the semifinals on October 19 at home at Kanteerava Stadium. No Indian club had ever made it to the final of the AFC Cup. Bengaluru FC is only the third Indian club to have made it to the semifinals of the AFC Cup, after Dempo (2008) and East Bengal (2013). the Sesquicentennial celebrations, as the school will complete 150 years in 2017. Adrian D’Silva, a Trustee of the school, said “The school will be celebrating the 150th anniversary in 2017. This is the beginning of celebrations by launching our sports activity for our students. For which we are giving then an ultra modern sports ground for football, hockey and cricket.” S. Gomes, Principal, said “the academy provide an opportunity for students to develop their talent which would help our school regain its past glory.” Prominent student who have passed out from the school, include cricketers Farook Engineer, Rusi, Surti and hockey stalwarts Gilbert Lobo and Clarence Lobo, who have both represented the country. National table tennis player Shubham Ambre is an ex-student, while Mandar Chiplunkar another upcoming paddler is a student of the school. The Sports Grounds, will be formally inaugurated on Saturday, October 1 at 6.30 pm.
Sawant’s strike seals Sterling Das FA’s win
MUMBAI: Ajinkya Sawant’s 75th strike was good enough for Sterling Das Football Academy to snatch a narrow 1-0 win against IDBI in a First Division match of the MDFA (Mumbai District Football Association) League 2016-2017, and played at the St. Xavier’s ground, Parel on Wednesday. Meanhile, Sunday Boys SC recovered from a first half 0-1 deficit to overcome Catholic Gymkhana 2-1. The Gymkhana outfit took the lead through Kirk Alvares in the 13thminute. But, Sunday Boys fought back and scored twice in the second period with Vinod Nishad scoring the equaliser in the 47th minute before Omkar Shinde netted the winner in the 76th minute.
HR College ease past St. Mary's
MUMBAI The Reliance Foundation Youth Sports saw the senior boys category matches intensify as teams grappled for a position in the next qualification round of the tournament. The day’s action saw HR College of Commerce & Eco. take on St. Mary’s Jr. College in Zone 2 of the Mumbai qualifiers. After a keenly contested first half, the match turned out to be a comfortable victory for HR College in the end as they beat their counterparts by 5 goals to 1. The first half saw two evenly contested teams in an end to end start to the match. The deadlock was broken in the 18th minute when Vihan Hingorani scored for HR College to put them in front after a well worked corner which the defender volleyed in the far post beyond the St. Mary’s defense. The second half begun with HR College rejuvenated by their first half display as they extended their lead to 2 goals when Rohit Gouda scored in the 34th minute. With St. Mary’s offering very little going forward, it was only a matter of time before HR College would score another goal which they did through Joyan Jasoomani in the 51stminute before wrapping up the game in the 54th minute through number 9 Archis Kowli. The other matches of the day saw MMK College also register a comfortable win in the qualifying rounds. While Dwarkadas J. Sanghvi college bulldozed Nirmala college in the College Boys Category.
Harshita, Sakshi shine in Mithbai’s win
MUMBAI: After being held goalless in the first half, Mithbai College girls relentlessly attacked in the second half to beat Bhavan’s (Andheri) 4-0 in the girls U-19 to enter the prequarterfinals of the DSO Mumbai Suburban District level InterSchool Football Tournament, held at St Francis D’Assisi Ground Borivali on Wednesday. Sakshi Seth and Harshita Dhobe shared the honours with a brace each before their names. St. Rock’s girls from Borivali after being made to wait for their under-17 17 tie against Mulund’s Laxmibai English) school for a long period, showed ample patience while waiting for their rivals to arrive. However, the girls utilised their time to complete their home work before they came on the field to beat the Mulund girls 2-0 in their under-17 pre-quarterfinals.. Both the goals came through the efforts of Tyivita Haide. However, there were a spate of walk-overs and scratching of teams with some of the team not turning up for their matches.