Striker’s last minute strike gives Mumbai Customs a hard earned win over their seasoned opponents.
A 90th minute strike by Jinto Jose earned Mumbai Customs a 1-0 win over Western Railway in the Elite Division of the Mumbai Football League at the Cooperage ground on Monday.
Mumbai Customs edged out their opponents in terms of ball possession but failed to capitalise early in the game.
There were very few chances in the first half for either side.
Mathais Coutinho of Customs tried his luck from a distance but his shot hit Jose, his own teammate.
Western Railway tried to score by launching balls into the box but the Customs goalkeeper, Liyaz Koya foiled their attempts every time.
In the second half, the play had to be stopped as a number of players suffered injuries. Western Railway defender Jayesh Martin seemed to have twisted his knee while chasing the ball down the right flank. He tried to rejoin the game but went down again and had to be substituted.
Jose and Western Railway skipper Suvendu Hui went for a common ball in the midfield and the latter went down clutching his face. The referee booked Jose amidst the protest by players from both teams.
The game was headed towards a draw until a highball from the Customs defence could not be cleared and Jose found himself in a one-on-one with Susavan Dey, the Western Railway goalie. He finished the move by neatly finishing the ball in the left side of the net. The goal proved to be the defining moment of the game as there was very little time for either side to score further.
Jose was pleased with his side’s performance on the day. The 27-year-old striker said, “We have a very good team this season. We have added five very talented youngsters to our squad.”
He expects his side to better their performance from last year. “Last year we finished in the 10th position, but I am certain that we will do much better this time around. It has been a while since a Mumbai Customs team has been as strong this,” said Jose.
AT THE WHISTLE
Second Division: Saki Village Boys 1 (Trevor Pereira) drew with Green Park FC 1 (Lenny Pereira)
Super Division: PDP Wave 1 (Siddhant Pinto) bt Mumbai Port Trust 0
Elite division: Mumbai Customs 1 (Jinto Jose) bt Western Railway 0
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