Francisco Salin’s brace secures a win for Customs in their last match 

by Siddharth Yadav March 11, 2018

9th March 2018, Mumbai: High-flying PIFA Colaba met Mumbai Customs in an eventful MDFA Elite Division clash at Cooperage Stadium on Friday evening. Francisco Salin scored in either half to secure a 2-0 win for Customs which ended their season on a high note.

PIFA Colaba missed several clear-cut opportunities in the first-half which came back to haunt them later. Midway through the first half, striker Hemant rounded Customs’ debutant goalkeeper Vihang Solanke but didn’t manage to keep his composure as his effort was cleared off the line.

Overall PIFA had a dominant first half where they created numerous chances but the finishing part was hugely missing. Just before the halftime, Customs was awarded a free kick, 25 yards from the penalty box. Praneel Mendon delivered a curling ball across the goal which was superbly headed by Francisco Salin into the back of the net, giving Customs an unlikely lead after a disappointing start.

In the second half, Customs improved and dominated the proceedings. The backline adjusted perfectly and kept Colaba’s attack at bay. John Coutinho, Praneel and Mathias Coutinho combined well to dictate Customs’ play.

In the 77th minute, John Coutinho’s right-footed cross met his elder brother Mathias who delicately headed across the goal to Francisco who made no mistake to double Customs’ lead with a powerful header. A well-rounded move which was executed beautifully by Franco.

PIFA Colaba’s substitute Venky had a glorious chance to cut short the deficit in the dying moments of the match, not once but twice. His first attempt was cleared off the line by defender Hekmat Singh before placing a free header straight into Customs’ goalkeeper Vihang’s leg which pretty much summed up PIFA’s day.

In all, Customs had a decent season where they could have done much better. There were ups and downs but in the end, they made sure to wrap their season on a positive season.