Mumbai (Maharashtra)[India], August 11 : Cathedral and John Connon School (Fort) lifted the Boys Under-16 Division I title at the MSSA Inter-School Football Tournament, defeating Smt. R.S.B. Arya Vidya Mandir (Juhu) 3-1 in the final at the Wings Sports Centre, Bandra (West) on Monday.
Goals from Anaai Dsouza, Zahan Mistry and Veer Kedia sealed the victory for Cathedral after a competitive contest, while Prithviraj Tanpure found the net for AVM, according to a release from MSSA Inter-School Football Tournament.
The final was graced by the presence of Raju Gaikwad, Indian footballer currently playing as a defender for Diamond Harbour FC in Kolkata, and Neil Dcosta, who has represented Maharashtra at the Santosh Trophy and currently serves as the General Secretary of Sports - Income Tax.
"I want to congratulate Dream Sports for their collaboration with MSSA. What I'm witnessing at the Dream Sports MSSA inter-school football tournament is incredible. The participants are getting excellent grounds, good infrastructure, and proper facilities. This is tremendous motivation for young players. To all the boys and girls participating: work hard, enjoy football, and remember that discipline plays a vital role in the game," said Raju Gaikwad, who represented the Senior Indian National Team for 8 years and most recently represented Maharashtra at the 77th Santosh Trophy in 2023-24.
In the Boys U-16 Division I third-place match, Don Bosco (Matunga) edged past Don Bosco (Borivali) 5-4 in a penalty shootout after the teams were tied 2-2 at full time.
In the Girls U-16 Division I semi-finals, Cathedral & John Connon beat Bombay Scottish (Powai) 4-3 in penalties, while Jamnabai Narsee (Juhu) overcame Smt. RSB AVM (Juhu) 3-2 in penalties after both games ended in draws in regulation time.
Meanwhile, in the Boys U-16 Division II-C category, SVKM (Vile Parle) defeated St. Francis D'Assisi (Borivali) 2-1.
Results for the Dream Sports MSSA Inter-School Football Tournament on Monday:
Boys U16 Division 1 - 3rd Place Match
Don Bosco (Matunga) (Prajeet Vinayagamoorthy, Vihaan Charaniya, Bhavya Sandish, Eshant Nikam, Affan Mirza, Avanish Bhaigade, Sheldon Dias) (5) Full time score (2-2) beat on penalties Don Bosco (Borivali) (Aarav Kataria 3, Cristian Lewis, Elijah Fernandes, Reenesh Kotian) (4)
Boys U16 Division 1 - Final
Cathedral and John Connon (Fort) (Anaai Dsouza, Zahan Mistry, Veer Kedia) 3 Beat Smt. R.S.B. AVM, (Juhu) (Prithviraj Tanpure) 1
Girls U16 Division 1 - Semi Finals
Cathedral and John Connon (Fort) (Anasuya Raju, Seisha Kedia, Saisha Damodar, Shreyasi Daga) (4) Full time score (0-0) beat on penalties Bombay Scottish (Powai) (Abigail M. Dsouza, Amna Noorani, Ciona Biju) (3).
Girls U16 Division 1 - Semi Finals
Jamnabai Narsee (Juhu) (Nehchal Bright 2, Adrika Shukla, Aarna Agasti) (3) Full time score 1-1 beat on penalties Smt RSB AVM, (Juhu) (Narmadaa Mishra 2, Kavya Aher) (2)
Boys U16 Division 2
SVKM (Vile Parle) (Nivaan Pawar, Smayan Gupta) 2 Beat St. Francis D'Assisi (Borivali) (Ronit Toppo) 1.