Tuesday, Apr 15, 2003
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2003 |
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Football
By Our Sports Reporter
Churchill Brothers' Yusuf Yakubu sends the ball into the net, watched helplessly by HASC's Gift Rayken, for his team's second goal in the NFL match in Bangalore on Monday.
The crowds that normally throng the Bangalore Football stadium for HASC matches decidedly kept away. But those hardcore followers who turned up was definitely not disappointed as the Aircraftmen, with relegation already decided played more for pride than anything else. The return of Sunil after a long injury lay-off did bring about a fresh lease to the midfield and it was the Churchill goal that was tested early on. With Nurlan sent home and Kenneth Onu not starting HASC looked better off. Gregory Clarke in the midfield and Sunil played with good understanding and the crosses came in from both the wings. Ishfaq Ahmed messed a superb centre provided by Sunil failing to jab home past Edward Ansah in the rival goal and soon after Sunil himself failed to direct his header goalwards off a Xavier Vijaykumar cross. But it was the local lads who were celebrating, first. Sunil worked himself down the left wing this time and centred for an ideally place Ishfaq who made amends with a swift punt past a napping Goan defence in the 26th minute. The joy was short-lived. Yusuf Yakubu, the brilliant Ghanaian striker who was the top-scorer in the last edition of the league was not to be stopped for long. He first hoodwinked Obinnah Winners, with a deft flick of the instep and weaved his way past a hapless Mark Mascarenhas in the HASC goal to draw level. In the 38th minute Yusuf was at it again this time using Benjamin Ansah as a wall to get past Obinnah and running the ball into the net past an onrushing Mark, who looked tentative in his approach (2-1). The second half was bereft of any thrills barring the robust tackling by Obinnah. The burly stopper was thrusted with the daunting task of marking the two foreigners — Yakubu and Benjamin Ansah — played his part effectively, at times using sheer body weight to get the better of his man. Obinnah in the process did in the process get his marching orders. Having fouled badly early on, Obinnah deliberately handled the ball when beaten to be shown the `red card' minutes before the final whistle by referee Sarat Chandra Singh. Churchill Brothers with this win moves to fifth spot with 31 points, while ITI remains `wooden spoonist' with seven points from 20 encounters.
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