The Mumbai Knights Football Academy, who emerged victorious at Mumbai Football Association Women’s Premier League 2024-25 by winning all their matches in dominant fashion, owe their success to some solid beach training. Coach Preetam Mahadik, who was head coach for the Maharashtra boys U-21 beach football team that won the silver medal at the All-India Football Federation-approved Beach Sports Festival in Diu earlier this year, told mid-day about his beach training strategy for the girls. “For a good three months before the league, we underwent some rigorous beach training sessions. The girls worked hard daily — five days of the week — with the sessions getting more intense as the league approached. And their hard work has paid off brilliantly,” said Mahadik. Also Read: Champions Trophy 2025: India vs Pakistan set to be played on February 23, here's the full schedule Ronnie D’Souza, who was the manager of the Maharashtra beach soccer team alongside Mahadik added: “Running on the sand is a great activity for footballers, and if you can master controlling the ball on sand, it becomes that much easier when you do the same activities on a normal football ground. Preetam made his Mumbai Knights team do the same beach drills that we did with the Maharashtra U-21 boys team. And the results are there for all to see.” Mumbai Knights won 11 out of 11 games in the MFA Women’s Premier League, scoring a whopping 59 goals and conceding just four. Pranita Nimkar, named the WPL’s best defender, scored 18 goals while Bhagyashree Dalvi, who was awarded the best forward, netted 14 times. Some of the country’s top women’s teams have taken note of the Mumbai Knights’ strong performance and one of their central defenders, Priyanka Sujeesh has been signed by IWL outfit East Bengal. The Mumbai Knights are now preparing for the Indian Women’s League 2. Their target is to achieve qualification in the top tier of Indian women's football — the Indian Women’s League.
24 December,2024 06:40 PM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin FerroLiverpool head into Christmas with a four-point lead, a game in hand and as the overwhelming title favourites in the Premier League on the back of a wild 6-3 win at Tottenham. Also Read: MCG curator defends poor practice tracks Heung-min Son 21 games without a loss Make that 21 games in all competitions without defeat after the Reds’ biggest league win of the season, with Mohamed Salah netting two of the goals to move above Manchester City’s Erling Haaland to the top of the scoring charts. Liverpool have 39 points from 16 games and stretched their lead over second-place Chelsea, who could only draw 0-0 at Everton, to end a five-match winning streak in the league. Salah now has 15 goals in the Premier League to break a tie with Haaland — and will leave London thinking he should have had more. Biggest win this season In an end-to-end contest, resembling a basketball match, Liverpool scored more than five goals for the first time this season, with Luis Diaz (two), Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai being the scorers. “You can see quality players with top discipline,” Tottenham captain Son Heung-min said. “There’s a reason they are top. If you give them a mistake, they punish you.” Tottenham’s injury-hit defence was open at the back but its attack caused Liverpool’s problems throughout, with James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke all finding the net. Spurs are another big team in the bottom half, having slipped to 11th place. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
24 December,2024 08:03 AM IST | London | AP | PTIHoly Family High School (Andheri) clinched the MSSA boys U-14 Div I inter-school football title, defeating Don Bosco High School (Borivli) 5-4 in a nail-biting tie-breaker at Goan Sports Association ground on Monday. The match ended in a goalless draw at the end of regulation time, thanks to some fine goalkeeping at both ends, from Marc Fernandes of Don Bosco and Sanctus Fernandes of Holy Family. The tie-breaker was a close affair. It was locked at 4-4 after the first five attempts from either side before Daniel Vaz of Don Bosco missed his attempt during the sudden death. Shaun D’Souza, Leon Dias, Amen Kedare, Daksh Rathod, and Emmanuel Fernandes successfully converted their penalties, while skipper Rajiv Shinge missed for Holy Family. Also Read: "He’s one of the greatest we’ve seen": Abbott on Jasprit Bumrah For Don Bosco, Asher Aranha, Sumil Wadgaokar, Evan Gomes, and Travis Pereira found the back of the net. Holy Family coach Glen Rodrigues praised his team’s composure under pressure. “It was a tough match, both teams played exceptionally well. I’m happy with the outcome. Our boys stayed calm and delivered when it mattered most,” he said. Earlier, in the third-place match, Cathedral and John Connon School (Fort) comfortably beat Bombay Scottish (Mahim) 3-0. Anaai D’Souza and Ameya Vanikar were the stars for Cathedral. Anaai netted a fine brace while Ameya added one as Cathedral emerged champs.
24 December,2024 07:57 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamKylian Mbappe added to his scoring streak with a superb strike in Real Madrid’s 4-2 win over Sevilla in the Spanish league to finish the year on a positive note after hitting what he called “rock bottom” in early December. Mbappe sent a right-footed shot into the upper corner 10 minutes into the match for his fourth goal in as many games with Madrid in all competitions. It was Mbappe’s sixth goal in his last eight matches with Madrid. Also Read: "He is short of confidence with self-doubts": Manjrekar reflects on Rohit Sharma He struggled early on with his new club, and said his lowest point came when he missed a penalty in the team’s 2-1 league loss at Athletic Bilbao on Dec 4. “I know I have a lot more to give,” Mbappe said on Sunday. “The last few games I’ve played better, I took a lot of positives from the Bilbao game, when I hit rock bottom.” Mbappe said he feels his period of adjustment with the club is finally over. “I think we now know each other better,” he said. “I’ve joined the team and that changed a lot of things. The settling-in period is over, as the coach says. I feel very comfortable in the team and I play better with the others on the field. The team is playing much better.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
24 December,2024 07:41 AM IST | Madrid | AP | PTILiverpool emphatically asserted their claim at the top of the Premier League table with a 6-3 victory against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Both Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah scored a brace with goals by Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai rounding off the rampant victory for the Reds. The league leaders took early control of the encounter as they reached 2-0 up by 36 minutes with goals from Luis Diaz and Alexis Mac Allister. James Maddison got Spurs back into it on the 41 minute mark, only for Dominik Szoboszlai to strike again for 3-1 before the break. Liverpool racked up a 5-1 advantage via a Mo Salah double by the hour but to the players' credit, Spurs kept going and reduced the arrears to 5-3 thanks to Dejan Kulusevski's volley and Dominic Solanke's close-range finish. However, the visitors had the final word as Diaz made it 6-3 five minutes from time. Salah became the first player in the division ever to reach double figures for both goals scored and assists prior to December 25, a new record in the competition to date. Salah’s assist for Dominik Szoboszlai’s strike in first-half stoppage time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw him bring up the landmark achievement. He also moved past Billy Liddell to move up to fourth in Liverpool’s all-time goal scorers list. The Egyptian reflected on what was yet another milestone at the club "It’s great to achieve that at such a big club, but the most important thing is that we won the game. Wherever I am going to end my career I am happy about it,” said Salah to Sky Sports. With Chelsea dropping points against Everton with a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park on Sunday, Liverpool now sit four points clear with a game in hand with 39 points to their name after 16 games played. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 December,2024 09:50 AM IST | London | IANSKerala Blasters FC produced a scintillating second-half performance to secure a commanding 3-0 victory over Mohammedan SC in the Indian Super League here on Sunday. After a cagey first half, the Blasters found their rhythm after the break, with Noah Sadaoui and Alexandre Coeff finding the net, while an own goal by Bhaskar Roy added to Mohammedan's woes. With this win, the home team completed a league double over Mohammedan SC this season. The first half hour of the game saw both defences holding their shape and thwarting the opposition's attack. However, the hosts had a few half chances with Noah orchestrating most of the moves. He combined with Kwame Peprah brilliantly before the drinks break but the Ghanaian's header was too tame to trouble Roy in goal. The final quarter of the first half saw Kerala Blasters FC dominate possession, whereas Mohammedan SC were happy to sit back and hold their lines. However, Kerala eventually created the best opening of the first half when Adrian Luna found Noah in the box with a long ball. The Moroccan headed the ball towards an onrushing Korou Singh. However, the youngster's header struck the post before Peprah nestled the side netting, summing up the first period which saw only a solitary shot on target. Kerala continued their dominance in the second half with Milos Drincic coming very close to breaking the deadlock from a corner delivered by Luna. The defender rose the highest from the corner and made a great connection but he was denied by Bhaskar, who made a diving save to keep the visitors in the game. Luna found Drincic in the subsequent corner as well but this time he headed it wide. Kerala Blasters FC finally broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute courtesy of an error from Bhaskar Roy. The Mohammedan SC custodian misjudged a corner kick from Luna as he tried to punch it out instead of gathering the ball. Therefore he deflected the ball into his own net, opening the scoring for the game. Kerala almost doubled the lead with Korou squaring it to Luna in the box. But before it could reach him, Zodingliana Ralte cleared it away. The hosts doubled their lead in the 80th minute when Korou found Noah in the penalty area after Luna's corner kick was cleared away. The Moroccan was in acres of space to direct a thunderous header into the bottom right corner. Kerala brought in Alexandre Coeff and Lalthanmawia Renthlei to close out the game. The Frenchman made an instant impact as he scored the third goal for the hosts in the 90th minute. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 December,2024 09:48 AM IST | Kochi | PTIEverton secured a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Chelsea at Goodison Park, ending the visitors’ eight-match winning streak. In challenging conditions, with swirling wind and rain, both teams battled to find rhythm, but the Toffees’ resilience at the back and Chelsea’s attacking intent resulted in a tense stalemate. Chelsea, aiming to go top of the Premier League with a win, started brightly. Cole Palmer had an early chance, dragging a shot wide, and Nicolas Jackson’s near-miss was expertly saved by Jordan Pickford. The Toffees, while under pressure, stuck to their defensive shape, frustrating Chelsea’s attacking line. Enzo Fernandez was particularly influential for the Blues, threading a brilliant pass to Jackson, whose close-range header hit the post. Despite this early dominance, Chelsea could not break down Everton’s well-organized defense. Pickford was the hero for Everton, denying Jackson on several occasions, including a fine save from a tight angle. The Toffees also had their moments, with Jack Harrison testing Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez, but the Spaniard was in top form, making crucial saves, including one from Harrison’s close-range effort in the second half. Everton’s counter-attacks, spearheaded by the lively Iliman Ndiaye, caused Chelsea problems throughout. Ndiaye’s brilliant footwork led to a chance for Morgan Sanson, but his 20-yard shot was palmed away by Sanchez. Everton’s substitutes, including Jesper Lindstrom and Beto, kept up the pressure, and Ndiaye almost found the net late on, but his effort was blocked by Chelsea’s Tosin Adarabioyo. While Chelsea enjoyed the majority of possession, it was Everton who had the better chances in the second half. However, neither team could find a breakthrough, and the match ended in a deserved 0-0 draw. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 December,2024 09:47 AM IST | Liverpool | IANSRiding high on a solitary goal by Hannah Fernandes, Bombay Scottish (Mahim) secured a 1-0 win over Cathedral and John Connon (Fort) in the girls’ U-14 Division I final of MSSA inter-school football tournament at Bombay Gymkhana on Thursday. The title-winning goal came from Scottish winger Hannah, who picked up a loose ball in the 14th minute and hammered it into the top left corner of the Cathedral goal. The Cathedral girls were disallowed two goals by referee Ranjan Kushwala due to infringements. In the first half, Cathedral’s Ariana Jalan found the back of the Bombay Scottish net, and after the break, Kiara Shah tapped the ball into the Scottish goal. “In the first incident, the striker had a bandage on her hand which is not allowed. And, in the second incident, the ball had been ruled out of play just before the shot on goal,” referee Kushwala told mid-day. “The referee’s decision is final. We can’t go against it,” said MSSA football secretary Sebastian Fernandes. Cathedral coach Jayesh Solanki was disappointed. “It’s not fair but they continued to play well even after the goals were disallowed,” he said. Bombay Scottish coach Florian Pereira was pleased with the result. “In the end, it’s the result that matters. My girls played well and gave their best,” she said.
23 December,2024 09:17 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamManchester United crashed to a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, while Chelsea missed the chance to go top of the Premier League after a 0-0 draw at Everton on Sunday. United boss Ruben Amorim, who once again left Marcus Rashford out of his squad, is set for a miserable Christmas following the worst result of his brief reign. Languishing in 13th place, United have suffered four defeats in nine matches in all competitions since Amorim arrived from Sporting Lisbon. United’s second successive loss after their League Cup exit at Tottenham on Thursday underlined Amorim’s belief that their road back to the top will be long and arduous. Again, United were exposed at set-pieces in the 29th minute when Bournemouth’s teenage defender Dean Huijsen punished poor marking at a free-kick to glance a header past Andre Onana. There was even worse to come for Amorim in the second half as Justin Kluivert doubled fifth-placed Bournemouth’s advantage with a 61st minute penalty following Noussair Mazraoui’s foul on the forward. Antoine Semenyo compounded United’s misery two minutes later with a cool finish from Dango Ouattara’s pass. Saka injured in Arsenal rout Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted he was “pretty worried” over an injury suffered by star winger Bukayo Saka in Saturday’s 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. Saka, who was forced off midway through the first half, was seen on crutches leaving Selhurst Park after a game which saw the Gunners move to within three points of Premier League leaders Liverpool. Gabriel Jesus netted twice and was only denied a third by the width of a post, with Kai Havertz pouncing. Palace forward Ismaila Sarr, who had pulled his team level at 1-1, failed to make the most of two inviting opportunities early in the second half. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 December,2024 06:25 AM IST | London | AFPAtletico Madrid came from behind to snatch a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Barcelona and claim leadership of La Liga on Saturday. Pedri sent the Catalans ahead but second-half goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Alexander Sorloth helped Diego Simeone’s side move three points clear at the top of the table, having played one match fewer than Barca. Hansi Flick’s side dominated at the Olympic stadium but Atletico clung on before claiming a 12th consecutive victory across all competitions with Sorloth’s stoppage-time strike. Barcelona started the season in superb form but have stumbled in recent weeks and have now won just one of their last seven league games. This was their third consecutive home league defeat, their worst such run since 1987, while it was also Simeone’s first ever away triumph against Barcelona in La Liga. “It’s inexplicable... we had the game in our hands and we didn’t take advantage,” said Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi. “It’s truly a tough defeat to take, when you don’t finish a game, this is what can happen,” Pedri told Movistar. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 December,2024 06:24 AM IST | Barcelona | AFPEast Bengal FC triumphed over Jamshedpur FC by 1-0 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season on Saturday. Marksman Dimitrios Diamantakos was the only player on target for the home side as they maintained their mid-season rise under their new tactician Oscar Bruzon. The Red & Golds secured their fourth win in their last five matches in the competition. Jamshedpur FC, on the other hand, were inefficient in creating and finishing chances, as per an ISL press release. The first quarter of the match saw both teams exert pressure on their opponents with some intricate movement. The game's first chance fell to the hosts as Cleiton Silva, who found himself in space from a corner and stabbed the ball from close range. However, he was denied by an outstretched Albino Gomes. A minute later, the Red and Golds recycled possession and Anwar Ali saw his long-range effort rattle the post before going out, catching the entire Jamshedpur FC backline off-guard. In the ninth minute, it was Jamshedpur FC's opportunity to attack as Stephen Eze found Javier Siverio in the box with a dink pass. The Spaniard showed immaculate control but his subsequent effort struck the side netting. In the 16th minute, Oscar Bruzon was forced to make a change as Mohamad Rakip limped off the pitch and was replaced by Jeakson Singh. Also Read: Should KL Rahul make way for Rohit Sharma at the top? Know Ravi Shastri's opinion Later, his counterpart, Khalid Jamil also made an early change by bringing on Pronay Halder in place of Sourav Das in the middle of the park. The game slowed down in the second quarter of the first half, with both teams consolidating possession and being far more conservative with their approach. However, East Bengal FC finished the first period with a flurry of opportunities. Nandhakumar Sekar and Cleiton came close to breaking the deadlock but were both denied by a resolute Albino in goal. Jamshedpur FC were the team on the ascendency in the first ten minutes of the second half but they lacked the final ball in the box. In the 54th minute, Albino was called into action once again as Hector Yuste rose the highest from a corner to head it towards goal. The Spaniard made a good connection but not enough to beat the Jamshedpur FC custodian. But East Bengal's continued pressure eventually bore fruit in the 60th minute when Dimitrios Diamantakos broke the deadlock from Nandhakumar's cross. Cleiton also played a big role in the buildup as Jamshedpur FC defenders were stranded ball-watching. Khalid Jamil, in retaliation to the goal, made attacking changes by bringing on Jordan Murray and Nikhil Barla in place of Rei Tachikawa and Mohammed Sanan respectively. Meanwhile, Bruzon replaced Diamantakos with David Lalhlansanga as an injury precaution. In the 68th minute, Vishnu PV almost doubled the lead with a stunning solo effort. He lost his marker with some exquisite trickery before drifting into the box from the left flank. His eventual effort struck the inside of the post before going out. Jamshedpur FC threw bodies forward in search of the equaliser in the final quarter of the game but Bruzon's men held their lines brilliantly, registering their fourth victory of the campaign. The experienced Brazilian Cleiton was a livewire on the field for East Bengal FC. He was the prime orchestrator for the solitary strike while he also created four chances. Cleiton also clocked six crosses and worked hard in link-up play. He also completed 39 out of his 47 attempted passes. East Bengal FC will face Hyderabad FC on December 28, while Jamshedpur FC will be in action against Kerala Blasters FC on December 29. East Bengal FC 1 (Dimitrios Diamantakos 60') - 0 Jamshedpur FC. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
22 December,2024 05:09 PM IST | Kolkata (West Bengal) | ANIADVERTISEMENT
