The girls U-16 Division-I semi-finals of the inter-school football tournament between Jamnabai Narsee (Vile Parle) and Arya Vidya Mandir (Juhu) at Wings Sports Centre, Bandra, on Monday delivered not only drama, but also a fascinating subplot of two friends turning into rivals.
The match was a tense affair with Jamnabai beating AVM 4-3 via tie-breaker.
Jamnabai’s Nehchal Bright and Smt RSB Arya Vidya Mandir’s Radhika Vyas usually share the same colours, passes, and celebrations as teammates at the Mumbai Knights football club. But on Monday, there was no familiar camaraderie, only fierce determination to take their respective schools into the final.
Jamnabai Narsee players celebrate their semi-final victory against AVM in Bandra on Monday. Pic/Shadab Khan
Radhika, AVM’s central attacking midfielder, led the charge with her pace, trying to breach a resolute Jamnabai defence while Nehchal, equally relentless, kept pushing forward for the Juhu side. In the first half, Radhika came close with a curling effort that grazed the crossbar, while Nehchal had her solo run stopped by the AVM goalkeeper.
AVM’s Nmara Misra opened the scoring (22nd min) only to see Nehchal net the equaliser. In the shootout, Nehchal, Aarna Agasti and Adrika Shukla scored for Jamnabai, while Kavya Aher and Narmadha Missra scored for AVM.
“We are club mates and enjoy each other’s company. Today, we were chilling before the start of our match, but as soon as the match began, I knew that friendship aside, I had to give my best for my school team,” Nehchal told mid-day.
“I never thought that I would face Nehchal as a rival or as an opponent. We both gave our best today. I hope she goes on to win the title,” said Radhika.
In the other semi-final, Cathedral and John Connon (Fort) beat Bombay Scottish (Powai) 4-3 via tie-breaker.
Saisha Damodar, Shreyasi Daga, Anasurya Raju and Seisha Kedia scored for Cathedral, while Abigail D’souza, Amna Noorani and Ciona Biju converted for
Bombay Scottish.