Air India’s lead would have been doubled if not for a glaring miss
three minutes later. Kailash Patil’s impressive individual display saw him beat two defenders before unselfishly squaring the ball for Soccor
Velho in a one on one situation. The forward somehow managed to shoot over an open net from six yards out and the opportunity went
begging.
As the referee signaled for halftime, Air India went into the interval with a slender 1-0 lead.
Railways equalise Surprisingly, Central Railway
pulled their way back into contention with an equalizer in the opening minutes of the second half. An inch-perfect cross by Kasif Jamal from the
left was met by a thumping header by skipper Prabhash Janardhan from close range. Goal! 1-1. Game on!
The Railwaymen were back to square one within a matter of minutes as
Kailash Patil restored Air India’s lead in what would eventually prove to be the game winner. As Santosh Koli’s cross sailed into the
penalty area, the Air India forward beat his marker to the ball a delightful header and flicked the ball into the far corner. Goal! 2-1 to Air
India.
Close!
Ten minutes from time, Kasif Jamal released a twenty five yard trademark left foot strike which flew inches over the crossbar and out of play. It
would be the closest that the Railway men to restoring parity in the dying minutes.
Full time
At the close of play, Air India booked their well-earned place in the
final – where they will now face Kenkre FC – to do battle for the title of Nadkarni Cup Champions, 2009.
As the fourth-largest populated city in the world with a staggering 14 million inhabitants, cosmopolitan Mumbai is a melting pot of ideology and culture.
Somewhere among all the chaos, the beautiful game binds people across barriers - race, caste, creed, religion and economic status - celebrating humanity in it's purest
forms. Football Mumbai is on a quest to capture the essence of what makes this city's identity so unique.
On behalf of my entire team, welcome to the world of Football Mumbai.
