MERCES: Khumbarwaddo scored a narrow 1-0 win over Don Joao in the opening match of the 4th edition of the Pogo Boys Rolling trophy, organised by Pogo Boys and played at Merces church ground, on Tuesday.
Youthful Khumbarwaddo colts dominated the opening minutes as they showed their dominance over the mix squad of Don Joao which featured youngsters and veterans.
However, Khumbarwaddo couldn’t turn their dominance into the lead as they couldn’t penetrate the back line led by veteran Francisco Furtado.
At the other end, Don Joao Delton Furtado awed the crowd displaying great skills and ball control as he sprayed passes to his teammates upfront, but much to his dismay, the forward line lacked the power and spirit.
Finding difficult to surpass a strong Khumbarwaddo defence, Don Joao opted to fly in long range shots which hardly tested the keeper. Both teams failed to break the deadlock at the break.
Crossing ends, Khumbarwaddo had the best chance to take the lead when referee awarded a free-kick just outside the opposition box. However, Bhavan Pilarnekar’s free-kick narrowly missed the target.
Minutes later, Bhavan finally scored giving Khumbarwaddo the much deserved lead when he leapt high to nod in a corner kick. Kumarwaddo’s Umesh Kundaikar had another opportunity to double the lead. But his solo effort hit the rival post. Don Joao tried to find the equaliser but they ran out of steam as the final whistle neared.
Chief guest and Mumbai City FC player Sahil Tavora gave away the Man-of-the-Match award to Don Joao’s Delton Furtado. Earlier, Sahil declared the tournament open.
