In a tense final that extended over to a Penalty shootout, Nagpur Goalkeeper and captain Owais Khan turned the hero with his crucial saves to help his side lift the WIFA Inter-District championship title.
Having knocked out tournament favourites in the semi-finals, Nagpur and host Pune both had a pragmatic approach to the game resulting in a cagey opening exchange of the match.
Both defences were on point with goalkeepers Owais Khan (Nagpur) and Shubham Pednekar (Pune) marshalling the defence well to keep their opponent’s attack quiet. The first half ended with neither side managing to break the deadlock as they entered the tunnel with the score still at 0 – 0.
The match then headed into a penalty shootout where Nagpur goalkeeper Owais Khan turned out to be the game-stealer.
Nagpur brushed aside their last season’s final loss to Kolhapur to now come back with vigour and win the title this year.
