In a remarkable display of resilience, Catholic Gymkhana Ltd. secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against ESIC in their opening match of the Mumbai Football Association (MFA) Super Corporate League 2025-2026 at the Karnatak SA ground in Churchgate, Mumbai, on March 4. Despite being reduced to just ten players due to several absences, the promoted side showcased their determination.

The match's only goal came from the energetic midfielder Kaustubh Meher, who found the net in the seventh minute. After a long pass into the penalty area, Meher's initial shot was blocked by the agile ESIC goalkeeper, but he quickly reacted to head the rebound into an empty net, igniting celebrations among his teammates.

ESIC fought hard for an equaliser, but the Catholic Gymkhana defence held strong, ensuring their team walked away with all three points in this thrilling encounter.

In the other Group A league matches of the day, India On Track got the better of one of the strong favourites, MH Orange FC, by a margin of 2-1. The winners led 1-0 at half-time. Meanwhile, Navi Mumbai-based young outfit Reliance Foundation Young Champs, after being tied goalless in the first half with Hope United FC, went down fighting with a scoreline of 0-2. Central Railway, on the other hand, went home gleefully with three points after their opponent IDBI Bank failed to report for their opening league match.

Results (League Phase):

• Catholic Gymkhana 1 (Kaustubh Meher) beat ESIC 0 (HT 1-0)
• India On Track (*) 2 beat MH Orange 1 (HT 1-0)
• Hope United FC (*) 2 beat Reliance Foundation Young Champs 0 (HT 0-0)
• Central Railway 3 beat IDBI Bank 0 (walkover)

*Information not available