After the ignominy of a 5-0 beating handed down to them by Salgaokar Sports Club, AIFF XI ,like the phoenix, rose from it’s ashes and literally grounded Air India FC.The Bhangra Boys “to-be” dominated large parts of the gameAfter surviving some hiccups in the first 20 minutes. The first goal was scored by Shilton D’Silva who headed in an accurate cross by Tirthankar Sarkar (both from India’s dream under-16 team of 2008) . Jagtar Singh smashed the second one in from inside the box in the 72nd minute. The young turks then let their guard down, allowing the airmen to net a consolation goal in injury time through Samson Singh.Playing without their talismanic defender Raju Gaikwad , AIFF XI was counting on it’s other defenders to come through. And Prathmesh Maulingkar did just that , keeping Air India’s Nigerian forwards quiet for long periods in the game. He also almost gave his side the lead in the 29th minute but his header just about missed the target. AIFF XI’s star striker Malswamfela , outmuscled 2 defenders, but chipped over the bar in the 47th minute.AIFF created some excellent moves but lack of experience saw them wasting a few chances.Their coach Desmond Buplin summed up their performance rather well. He said ‘The boys were nervous in the first 20 minutes, but once they settled down they didn’t give Air India any chance. We have to work hard on our passing. The boys are not experienced and the more they play, they will gain experience,’
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