U16s Kick Off MDFA YPL Campaign
We celebrated India’s 72nd year of independence by kicking off our inaugural MDFA Yuva President League (YPL) Under-16 campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Western India United. The achievement was even more creditable because it was our U16 team’s first competitive match playing together.
You can catch a glimpse of the action from the match here.
Footie First got off to a flying start by scoring in the very 1st minute thanks to a mix-up in Western India’s defence. Midfielder Jatin Lohana took maximum advantage and tucked in the loose ball to make it 1-0. While the goal inspired some belief in our boys, the lack of competitive match experience together showed as both teams battled hard in midfield to seize control of the game. Footie First striker, Faisal Shaikh, was a constant threat as he chased down balls put through by our midfield. But apart from this, both teams nullified each other and went into half-time with the score still at 1-0.
Match fitness also played a crucial role as both teams recovered from the exhaustions of the first half. Having had some time to recover their breath, the Footie First U16s started the 2nd half strongly with the team unchanged. They carved out some fine opportunities until Faisal put the finishing touch on a beautifully weighted pass from Sahil Shaikh to double the scores.
Our boys were then able to maintain their focus for the rest of the game only for a momentary lapse in the last minute when we conceded a goal as a result of some good passing and movement by Western India. However, time ran out for Western India United who were worthy opponents. For our part, we now go back to the drawing board to fix some of the flaws in defence and midfield in order to build on this brave performance by our Under-16s. Onwards & upwards.