NAGPUR district football team played like a champion and emerged one as they retained the Western India Football Association’s Inter-District State Football Championship on Monday. In the final played at Nagpur District Football Association’s (NDFA) Dr Ambedkar Football Stadium in Suyog Nagar, hosts Nagpur edged past mighty Mumbai by a solitary goal to remain champions for the second successive year. Not for nothing Fahad Junaid is rated as one of the best footballers of the region. Junaid, who plays the Elite Division League in Nagpur for six-time champions Young Muslim Football Club (YMFC) fired in a stunner in the 25th minute to put Nagpur ahead.

 

That goal turned out to be the title winning goal as Nagpur defenders including Stanley Peter and Yash Shukla guarded the defence line to perfection till the final whistle. The match got heated-up in the dying moments as Javed Akhtar, Aayush Kesri, Farhad Junaid of Nagpur and Arbaz Khan of Mumbai were cautioned with yellow cards in the added time of the match. Mohd Salim Khan, DIG, CBI was the chief guest of the prize distribution function. Nagpur received Rs 31,000 while Mumbai got Rs 21,000.