Inter-school football: Blaster Adityan AP has a ball

St Joseph's (Malad) skipper cherishes leading team to MSSA Div-II title before bidding adieu to school and city as he joins Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters FC youth team next month

St Joseph's Secondary School (Orlem) captain Adityan AP was over the moon after leading the team to a 2-1 win against a fighting St Paul's (Dadar) 2-1 in a boys' U-16 Division-II final of the MSSA inter-school football tournament, at the Neville D'Souza ground, Bandra, yesterday. Adityan, 15, a versatile footballer had every reason to have a blast as he is set to join Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters FC (KBFC) youth team next month. "I'm very happy and proud to captain a winning team. This is my parting gift to my school and I also thank my teammates, coaches, teachers, principal, and all who have supported me," Adityan told mid-day.

Aditya was the only boy to be selected from among the five players from Mumbai who attended the KBFC trials. "This is my last month in school. I will be leaving for Kerala in September to join the Kerala Blasters FC youth team and would be part of their program for the next couple of years. They will provide all facilities [boarding, lodging and training] and also look after my education. I'm looking forward to this new chapter," said Adityan. The summit clash was closely fought as both teams played an open attacking game and there was plenty to cheer for the parents who had turned up in large numbers to support their kids.

St Joseph's skipper Adityan AP

Om opens scoring

St Joseph's snatched the advantage when Om Arane's swinging 30-yard left-footed free-kick from just inside the right touch line flew past the outstretched hands of St Paul's goalkeeper Yash Rathod in the 12th minute of the 50-minute encounter. Later, St Paul's dependable striker Atharva Rewale, who is shaping into a proficient dead-ball specialist, converted from a free-kick at the stroke of half-time to restore parity. In the second session, St Paul's dominated play and put their rivals under pressure but were unable to land the crucial blow and that proved to be their undoing. St Paul's paid dearly for lack of finishing as they conceded a soft second goal which led to their downfall. In the 34th minute St Joseph's defender Yash Sanke's innocuous long clearance bounced in front of a hesitant St Paul's 'keeper Yash and rolled into an open goal, much to the joy of the Orlem supporters. In the final moments, St Paul's wasted a golden chance to draw level when Tanmay Kerekar beat the last defender but failed to beat St Joseph's custodian Soham Gujar from close range.

St Anne's finish third

Earlier, St Anne's (Orlem) captain Nathan Braganza struck a brace in guiding the team to a comfortable 4-1 win over Arya Vidya Mandir (Juhu) in the third-place match. Aldrin Gonsalves and Sheldon Rodrigues scored one goal each to complete St Anne's success. Ayon Sengupta scored the lone goal for the Juhu outfit.

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