Air India scored once in each to overcome HDFC Bank 2-0 in the final of the MDFA 112th Nadkarni Cup football tournament 2019, and played in front of a goodly crowd and under floodlights at the Cooperage ground on Saturday.
The defending champions Air India started slowly and came under a bit of pressure from HDFC Bank, but once they settled down and got into their rhythm they enjoyed a major share of the exchanges.
Air India opened the scoring through Suraj Negi’s strike in the 33rd minute and went into the breaker with a slender 1-0 advantage.
The airmen continued to hold the edge on resumption and in the 71st minute Sanchit Singh fired home the second goal to double their lead. HDFC continued to fight gamely and reduced the deficit when Titus Uttankar scored in the 85th minute.
The champions Air India were presented with the prestigious Nadkarni Cup and a cash award of Rs 50,000 while the runners-up HDFC Bank received a cash prize of Rs 30,000. Air India striker Sanchit was declared as the ‘Best player of the tournament’ and was given a cash award of Rs 5,000.
Results – Final: Air India 2 (Suraj Negi ) beat HDFC Bank 0.