Mirza, a Steven Gerrard fan, tried to inspire his team to win by playing in a central midfield role much like the Liverpool captain, but when they failed to out-score their opponents he took on the high pressure task of stopping the opposition spot kicks in the shootout.
Playmaker turned penalties-specialist goalkeeper, Neyer Mirza, saved two kicks in the tie-break to win the MSSA Boys’ Under-16 Division IV title for Maneckji Cooper, Juhu, against Learners Academy, Bandra, at Azad Maidan on Monday.
Mirza, a Steven Gerrard fan, tried to inspire his team to win by playing in a central midfield role much like the Liverpool captain, but when they failed to out-score their opponents he took on the high pressure task of stopping the opposition spot kicks in the shootout.
The teams were tied at one each at full time. Learners Academy opened their score in the first half through Karan Talcherkar, who smashed in a direct free kick from near the penalty box. Maneckji Cooper equalised within minutes, when Shanil Joshi hit a stunning strike from outside the box. Maneckji Cooper kept trying to score from a distance in the second half, but the opposition goalkeeper, Vishesh Kennani was up to the task. In the shootout, Mirza replaced Suyash Singh in goal, which turned out to be a good decision as he saved the kicks from Farhan Merchant and goal scorer Talcherkar.
“Our regular goalkeeper, Vishisht Verma, got injured in the early stages of the tournament, so we had to do without him in the later stages,” said Mirza.
Drawing a game and winning on penalties with Mirza in goal was a familiar script for Maneckji Cooper as the side had identical wins in the quarterfinal and the semifinal rounds.
Mirza added, “When I started playing football, I used to be a goalkeeper. I felt confident in taking penalties in the quarterfinals. So, I asked the coach to give me a chance. We won that game and so in the next two games there was no question about anyone else standing in goal for us.”
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