MSSA U-16 Div IV: Striker Chris 'tricks in St John the Evangelist's huge 7-0 win

St John the Evangelist striker Chris Fernandes is all smiles. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Lanky striker Chris Fernandes scored a hat-trick to steer St John the Evangelist (Marol) to a 7-0 victory against JBCN International (Andheri) in their Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA)-organised boys' U-16 Division IV inter-school football tournament at Azad Maidan yesterday.

Chris, 15, scored the first goal off an assist from Joshua Lopez in the opening minute and his second from captain Hammad Shaikh's pass in the 14th minute. Three minutes later he completed his hat-trick.

His teammates, Hammad, Joshua, Ashu Tandel and Huzaifa Ansari all scored one each to round off the victory margin. "Today's my best day and my best performance as this is my first hat-trick. I now want to work harder and try to improve my overall skills. Coach Dennis [Coutinho] sir's son Mathias, who is a state level footballer, is helping me work on my basics. I think this has helped me to score three goals today," admitted the youngster, who plays in the left-half position. In another match, MKES (Malad) overcame Jamnabai Narsee 'B' (Juhu) 1-0 with striker Harsh Upadhyay netting the lone goal.

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