IMAGIO VS EASTPAC

Red-card affected Eastpac International had only one choice with which to contest their unfortunate status and that was to give back all they had at the tournament leaders Imagio, and an early pass from Sadiq Jetha to Maisam Rattansi conveyed that impression. If only it followed up though, as Ali Husain scored the opening Imagio goal. Ali Husain’s first goal was just a skip in the park as he advanced toward the Eastpac target again and again, once even taking a combination of both the Damjis and Jetha to contain him. Irfan Salim then got a 1-on-1 but close distance was the unlikely adversary. Unmarked, Ali Husain scored a much more eventful goal to bring the score up to 2-neil. Again goalkeeper Mujtaba was burdened with the hefty duty of bringing death to Ali Husain’s power-propelled kicks and he did so, but a pass to captain Irfan Damji was intervened by Abbas Vazir on behalf of Imagio who scored. Towards the final whistle even captain Ali Asgher Somji who is by far the most reluctant to come any further than his mid-field, ventured into forward - assisted by Imran Lawati - to strike crisply, which ricocheted off the post but received wide applause.

DYNAMIC VS EASTERN FREIGHT

Massive promise hung around the back-together Dynamic squad, Imran Karim scoring what could be considered as “practice goal of the tournament,” though unfortunately only seen by a few eyefuls. Eastern was to match this with a terrific kick-off shot that meant they were the business. A free-kick in Dynamic’s favor witnessed an unusual but well-thought out scheme, where Muhammed Reza Hemraj pretended to kick but bypassed the ball, trusting Imran to do with the job at hand, which he did spectacularly as the ball flared to the bottom-right corner. Soon enough Abdulhusain Karim dealt with the Dynamic defense and assigned the ball to Ali Walji, forcing keeper Ali Jawad Bhimani to make a quick fingertip save. Duli and Ali exchanged thumbs-up in what was the first of many such tries. After wide shots from both sides Jawad Murji came up from his defense to assist Maza on the right wing. His action bore a rewarding goal as Maja gave it to Mustafa Rashid who passed it back for Maza to make Dynamic happier. Eastern’s return to Dynamic came when keeper Bhimani placed the ball on the ground as it was in play, leaving Ali Walji to score. Keeping pace, Ibrahim wondered why bother getting through the defense to score when you can just do it from mid-field, as he did so with his foot solidly placed on the half-line mark.  

UNIVERSAL VS TANGERINE

Banana yellow Universal must’ve all eaten bananas before the game, by the way they exuded energy in every step. Captain Akeel took a lead in the first three minutes and from there it was up and upper, though Tangerine captain Suhail embarked on retaliation straight-away with the ball snubbing off the outer side of the Universal net after a solo try. Playing a passing game, Suhail gave it to the newly-transferred Shafqat who aimed for Sibtain Merchant with a backpass. But Murtaza Merali intercepted to create his chance which he used perfectly, bringing the score up along with it. Akeel then showed that just when you think you’ve seen every kind of goal from him, he has another up his sleeve with a tricky goal from the left side bringing up a comfortable lead. Even with this, Universal kept on pushing as Akeel made keeper Muhammed Kazim delve out, passing it to Shameel who scored. Tangerine started the 2^nd half where they had left the 1^st but notable instances were in Suhail’s name who took on midfield to find no one in front. With the game drawing up to it’s conclusion Anis Somji totted up another for Universal, while Suhail scored the consolation goal for Tangerine.

AFRO VS UNIVERSAL

Husain Walji out-dueled his competition in the form of goal-scorers in a bid to ram his way to top of the scoring chart in the indoor tournament after sitting in the lower ranks for several weeks with a 5-1 win against Universal on Friday morning. Afro pounded their opponents after revitalizing their priorities in a lengthy team-talk directed by Altaf Rashid. Even Azaam displayed a more serious approach as Afro did not hear any of his jokes until after the game. But at first all this did not seem – Murtaza Merali scored an opening stunner from just after the mid-field divider stripe that suggested Afro were confined to being squandered upon by the same team yet again, after which Universal captain Akeel Hemraj co-operated with Anis Somji to bring Anis a chance which was well taken but not completed. Fate for Afro turned around when keeper Fazle used his good eye to throw the ball to Walji in center, who passed it to a waiting Arif Somji on the left. Arif shot but Zuhair Hemraj saved, however it rebounded and Walji sent it in with his left. Later a loose ball intended for Salman Ibrahim was challenged by Arif who scored in a fashion more prone to Imran Karim (Dynamic), the ball rocketing in the top right corner from short-distance. Having received the ball, Altaf took it up all the way to forward for his chance to complete a whole goal-scoring team but high prospects were denied by Salman. Akeel took a shot from where Merali had begot their first goal but this time Fazle was on-guard. Universal started another custom for other teams to follow which was discussion at half time which made for some scary moments for Afro later as the whole of Universal descended on the Afro goal with just two defenders. Keeper Arif Somji came out to midfield but Universal did not utilize their open-goal opportunity. But Walji came back to stop Shameel and scored in a 1-on-1 with keeper Hemraj. With just a few seconds to go Husain Walji scored again despite intense pressure from Anis, which saw Afro finally scale to a deserved top-spot in the table.

DYNAMIC VS TANGERINE

For Tangerine all their defeats and previous earlier game had nothing to do with them anymore – the past was past and this was present. And what a way to reinstate it to themselves - a metaphorical silver platter laden with a fresh tangerine being an accurate-enough description. Captain Suhail Fazeldin’s left winger ball waved bye-bye to the Dynamic defense as a Shafqat slide connected to give Tangerine a rare lead. But even the current going-ons did not transmit any sort of lazy victory for Tangerine in the beginning, with Maza’s precision chipper responded to by a fingertip save by Muhamed Kazim, and Minhal Manji’s left post hitter moments later. But the Tangerine strategy was set: diversion. Shafqat set up a shot for Suhail which, as it had tended to do that day, missed by a very small decimal percentage. Mehdi Damji seemed to have taken a few tips from his younger brother as he turned his way through the Dynamic defense, creating another opportunity. Apparently this was all part of the plan – Rasool Chatoo shot from after-mid unexpectedly which went in. As the 2^nd half started Dynamic began with strategic play and double the effort as Imran ran around the Tangerine defense enticing the ball towards his feet. Rasool running up on the left wing danced around Minhal Manji to combat with the keeper – a fight of skill that he won though not to say that Ali Jawad didn’t try. Tangerine’s talisman Rasool repeated the feat twice in just minutes to guarantee Tangerine another three points. 

EASTERN FREIGHT VS EASTPAC

Eastern Freight initiated the instigation of all good shots in the match with one taken by Ali Walji, equaled in a jiffy by Maisam Rattansi of Eastpac. Sadiq followed the pattern by sending the ball just right but keeper Maisam Asgher was not going to be so kind to Eastpac. Saleh framed a chance for Ibrahim but the ball only touched the high walls. Eastpac’s next chance arrived at the feet of Mahmood Rattansi who ran unaccompanied by any of his teammates towards the goal. Conversely while none of his team mates graced his run Ali Walji and Duli did and arched him as the crowd got to see the infrequent sight of Mahmood being pressured himself. But Mahmood’s role was not over yet – a timed-release of the ball curled in captain Irfan Damji’s shoes, from where it ported to Sadiq Jetha on the left to Maisam Rattansi in the center, who dispatched it bang in the center. As Sadiq Jetha accepted the ball again, it traveled 360 degrees around him in order to evade the defender parting only to Maisam, who referred it to the waiting Mahmood, who provided to it the full address of Sadiq who put it to temporary rest in the goal. With the 2^nd half started, Mahmood did his own fling to give Eastpac three reasons to celebrate – goal 1, goal 2 and goal 3. Maisam Rattansi tried from the left but Duli came back just in time to stop it and handed it to the keeper, who did well to save another hurl from Sadiq Jetha.