Brother duo strikes for HAL

HAL inched closer towards gaining a spot in next season’s I-League division 1. Today, playing against newbie NISA, Manipur at the Bangalore Football Stadium, they defeated 2-1. Brothers Karthigeyan and Satish Kumar jr scored for HAL and Thomas Singh scored the only goal for NISA. They now only need a draw to qualify for the I-League division 1.

HAL could not field their 2 foreigners, striker Fredrick and defender Femi was kept out of the match due to double booking. Fredrick’s absent meant Xavier coming in the forward position and Srikanth playing in deep-defense.

1st half failed to bring good game. With the field relatively heavy due to rains in last couple of days, HAL struggled to control the game. Defense looked feeble today with NISA penetrating several times.

After changing ends, HAL looked more organized. They made a skillful attack in the 1st minute. 3 minutes later, Karthigeyan’s powerful long ranger from a Jotin Singh pass went past the NISA keeper. HAL looked a much better team in this period.

Wily Xavier tore NISA’s defense in the 64th minute, however, keeper Premkumar Singh displayed good reflex and saved a sure goal. It was Xavier again, who missed the easiest chance of the day in the 73rd minute – alert Murali taps the ball from a defensive miss pass and gives it to Jotin on the left, Jotin on entering inside the penalty box passes to Xavier, the later dribbles one defender and finds the keeper, rather than placing to the far post, he takes an easy shot to the keeper.

This miss proved costly for HAL as the Manipuri team scored the equalizer in the next minute. NISA continued attacking after the equalizer, but caught repeatedly. Poor finishing prevented them from causing anymore damage to HAL.

In the 87th minute, Satish Kumar jr, who had a reasonably good tournament had an off-day as he displayed poor finishing and missed several scoring chances today. However, he did for his team when it matter the most. Coming from the right side, Satish dribbles few defenders, and takes a diagonal shot that goes beyond the reach of the keeper.

It was a big relief for the HAL supporters, who again turned in good numbers today.

Vasco still in contention

The Goan team amassed full points by bludgeoning Oil India 4-0. Striker Koko Sakibo scored the 2nd hat trick of the final round. With this win the Goan team stays in contention for qualifying in I-League division 1. They still need to win their final round match and hope that the top two teams HAL and ONGC waste points in their coming matches.

Result:

• HAL 2 (Karthigeyan-49' and Satish Kumar jr-87') NISA 1 (Thomas Singh-74')
• Vasco 4 (Koko Sakibo-30', 74', and 83' and Joel Sequiera-58') vs Oil India 0

Next Match - May 21(Round 6):

• Mohammedan Sporting Club versus Malabar United, 2 pm
• ONGC versus Sesa Football Academy, 4 pm

ONGC topples HAL

HAL got the first taste of defeat in the I-League division 2 final round by loosing to ONGC 2-1. All the goals were scored in the first half. ONGC took the lead in the 3rd minute of the game, HAL were quick to restore parity through Satish Kumar jr. ONGC netted another one in the 32nd minute and sealed the fate for HAL. In the 2nd match of the day, two bottom-ranked teams, Sesa and NISA played 1-1 draw.

It was a fight between the top teams. The spectators of the city team came in good numbers, they played drums to encourage the players throughout the match. However, HAL disappointed them by missing a penalty, missing easy chances, and displaying some aimless football in the second-half.

Nigerian striker Babatunde opened ONGC’s account in the 3rd minute - he receives a pass left to the left side of the box and intelligently places the ball to the far post, out of keepers reach.

HAL tried to hold the game in midfield, the equalizer came from a beautiful thru ball from Jotin Singh – Rajendra Prasad who was marching ahead from the right flank receives the ball and floats a center, Fredrick misses it, but Satish Kumar jr who was unmarked at the far post makes no mistake in putting the ball to the goal.

ONGC took the lead again, thanks to some shoddy work by the HAL defense - Jai Kumar fails to clear the ball cleanly, ONGC winger Naresh catches the ball, and takes an accurate long ranger.

HAL should have equalized in the early 2nd half – Nigerian striker Fredreick was brought down by an ONGC defender inside the box. Referee didn’t hesitate to declare a penalty. However, skipper Rajendra Prasad’s shot to the left side was easily saved by keeper Bilifang.

HAL was trying hard to get back into the game, but some good defending by ONGC did not make that happen. Sathish Kumar jr who earlier missed few chances was heavily marked and could not crack the ONGC defense.

The last 20 minutes were marred by some time-wasting tactics employed by ONGC and some aimless football by HAL.

ONGC remain the only team unbeaten so far and virtually booked their place in the 1st division. After loosing points today, HAL is in the 2nd spot with a point less from the leaders.

Result:

• ONGC 2 (Babatunde-3 and Naresh-32') beat HAL 1 (Satish Kumar jr)
• SESA 1 (Israil Gurung-66') - NISA 1 (Dewan Singh-81')

Next Match - May 20 (Round 6):

• HAL versus NISA, 2 pm
• Vasco Sports Club versus Oil India , 4 pm

Confident HAL march on

A confident looking HAL shrugged-off early jitters and defeated Vasco 2-1. Vasco initially unsettled HAL’s campaign and took the lead in the 2nd minute. HAL came back strongly into the match and scored a goal in each half. In the earlier match, Malabar United defeated NISA 1-0.

A defensive error by Bimal Minz gave Vasco an opportunity to take the lead. Sibra Narzary received the ball from foreigner Koko, coming from the right side fast-paced Sibra dribbled past Bimal Minz, and took an accurate shot to the near post. The ball went past to the left of keeper Amar Deb.

Perhaps, this jolt was needed for HAL, they started playing posessional game, and slowly came back to the game. 20 minutes into the game and HAL equalized. Minz gave a long pass to Xavier, who was moving dangerously from the left flank. The later was brought down by defender Sudeesh Muttiah. Fredrick Okwagbe timed his spot-jump in perfection from Xavier’s free-kick and scored the equalizer.    

The winning goal came from the 20-year old diminutive striker Satish Kumar Junior, who hails from the football nursery of Bangalore, Gowthampuram and has been a revelation for HAL. It was the old war horse Xavier Vijay Kumar again in action. From the left flank, he floated a cross to the far post for skipper, Rajendra Prasad. Prasad’s powerful header hit the cross-piece and rebounded into the ground, Satish Kumar Junior rightly came close to the ball and scored the winner.

Vasco pressed a lot but denied an equalizer, thanks to some tight defending by HAL.

The match was marred by some poor referring by Amjad Khan Mansoori. Just after the final whistle, Vasco players and officials barged into the field and attacked the referee. A timely intervention by the KSFA officials prevented from any untoward incident. The crowd came in a sizeable number of around 3000 today. One section of them reacted wildly and started pelting empty bottles and molded chairs to the Vasco players. The bizarre part was that the deployed police not seen in the scene.

Talking to GardenCitySoccerStars, Chitti Babu, the match commissioner sounded normal, “Nothing great as happened today, match got over, then few players and team officials charged referee. I don’t see any wrong in referee’s part as he completed the match. Security personnel’s were deployed there, however, I feel they were inadequate in numbers, I’ll mention this in my report.”

Post match comments:

Muralidharan, coach, HAL: Good win for us, we are inching closer to our target. Now the next match against ONGC is crucial for us, a win should give us license to play 1st division next season. We’ll play the same winning combination next match. Once we achieve our goal, then we can try out our bench strength.

Satish Kumar Junior, striker, HAL: I’m elated, good to see I’m coming good for my team. I’ve represented India in Under-17 national, captained Karnataka state in under-19, and also represented Karnataka in Santosh Trophy. I am not new in the striker position. Before joining HAL I was playing in this position. I had talks with a couple of top national-level clubs, but keen on playing for a top I-league team.

Result:

• Malabar United 1 (Javeed P A-17') beat NISA 0
• HAL 2 (Fredrick Okwagbe-20 and Satish Kr. Jr.-51') versus Vasco 1 (Sibra Narzary-2')

Next Match - May 16 (Round 5):

• Mohammedan Sporting Club versus Oil India, 2 pm
• Vasco Sports Club versus Malabar United, 4 pm

HAL whacks Mohammedan Sporting

In a spectacular display of football, city giant HAL upset Mohammedan Sporting’s I-league division 1 plan with a 4 goal victory. In the other match played earlier today, Vasco defeated hapless NISA with a 2-0.

More than 10,000 football lovers turned out to witness this super Sunday game and shouted their heart out for their favorite team. HAL fans surely got their money’s worth as they saw many exhilarating moments in the match including a breathtaking goal by Xavier Vijaykumar.

If the first 25 minutes if the match belonged to Mohammedan, the rest essentially belonged to HAL! They scored 4 and came close to scoring another 4 in the match.

HAL made the first advance in the 4th minute of the match by a nice move from skipper Rajendra Prasad to Fredrick, the later shot was thwarted by a nice reflex from keeper Naseem Akhtar.

Showing urgency, Mohammedan made some quick raid to the opponent’s defense. In 20th minute, Edu received a brilliant pass which was cleared by a HAL defender for corner. Dead-ball expert Edu’s, corner shot not cleared by the HAL defense; Theo gets the ball in the muddle, and finally scores for his team.
 
After conceding the goal, HAL was trying hard to get back to the game. Satish Kumar (junior) set some good balls for his mates, which was wasted by Murali and Fredrick.

In 34th minute, Xavier’s harmless thru from the top of the penalty box was missed by the sporting defender, lucky to receive, Fredrick fails to put the ball on the right spot, and finally goalkeeper Naseem Akhtar saves it.

2 minutes later, the action was again centered on Xavier, who takes a classic curling left-footed shot from the right-corner of the box. The shot was so accurately dipped into the far post that the fully-stretched keeper couldn’t reach near the ball.

Thought HAL strikers made mess from some crucial moves, the equalizer was an outcome of continuous pressure from their end.

After changing ends, Sporting made some quick attacks, however, their strikers were heavily marked and failed to penetrate to the striking zone.

HAL took lead the in the 52nd minute - defender Anupam Sarkar’s sloppy defending proved costly as Nigerian Fredrick gained from the mistake, with no one to challenge him, he ran all alone with the ball, and placed it to the top-left corner of the net. Mohammedan Sporting keeper could not do much here.

Meanwhile, Brazillian Edu was doing what he is best known for – trying his luck on set-pieces and putting good crosses. However, Mohammedan lacked the eagerness to work out from the ground passes, and seldom were they given space by the HAL defense.

In 76th minute, Edu’s in-swerving free-kick from a foul near the right-side of the corner was somehow foiled by Amar Deb for a corner. The corner proved futile for Mohammedan and HAL made a quick counter attack. Seems no one from the Mohammedan defense could pick Xavier, and the came out scoring his 2nd (teams 3rd) goal of the match.

Mohammedan brought in veteran striker Dipendu Biswas and attacking mid-fielder Niledra Diwan from the reserve, however their introduction made hardly any difference for Mohammedan.

The real hero for HAL was definitely Satish Kumar (junior), his speedy runs from the left flank and then cutting inside the box created havoc in Mohammedan defense.

Murali made a mess of the situation in the 87th minute of the match – Xavier did well to cover a lot of ground and then passed to Murali, the later only had the keeper in front of him, rather than placing the ball, he took a wild shot that went above the goal spot. A minute later, another Murali shot was splendidly saved by Naseem Akhtar.

The climax was rightly kept for the last minute of the match. Another cross from Satish Kumar (junior) went for Xavier, goal keeper came out from the goal line, and charged the ball. The keeper missed the ball and it was out of his reach. Xavier only needed to push the ball, however, a niggling sprain deprived his from doing so, and Naseem came out and cleared the ball. Unfortunately for Mohammedan Sporting, the ball felled right front the skipper Rajendra Prasad. Looking that the keeper is out of his position, Rajendra Prasad accurately lobbed the ball to the goal, much to the delight of the thousands of crowd.


Post match comment:

Shabbir Ali, coach, Mohammedan Sporting: Truly disappointed, played very horrible game today. Makes our task really difficult! Now, even a draw today would have placed us in a better position. It’s difficult from now on. Though we’ve played with the tougher teams and we’ll play with the relatively weak teams, we’ve a challenging task to cut out.

Muralidharan, coach, HAL: We went out with a strategy and played as per our plans. Glad to say that all the players played their role and executed in perfection.

Xavier VijayKumar, veteran player, HAL: Great win for us, Md. Sporting is a strong team, winning by a big margin has lifted our moral, and that will help us for the rest of the matches. All the counter attacks were a part of the plan, and glad that it yielded result.
I do no have any intention to captain my team for now, there is less pressure, I'm enjoying it, and it is being reflected in my game.

Result:

• Vasco 2 (Joy Ferrao-60’ and Koko Sakibo-84’) NISA 0
• HAL 4 (XAVIER VIJAY KUMAR- 37’ and 77, Fredrick Okwagbe-52’, and Rajendra Prasad-90’+5) Mohammedan Sporting 1 (Theodore Sunday-21’)

Next Match - May 12 (Round 4):

• Oil India versus ONGC, 2 pm
• Sesa Football Academy versus Mohammedan Sporting, 4 pm

Mohammedan cut short NISA

Playing better football today, Mohammedan Sporting outclassed nippy NISA, Manipur 2-0. Foreign recruits, Theodore Sunday and Edu Escobar scored a goal in each half. In the earlier match, ONGC, riding on Babatunde’s goal defeated Vasco 1-0.

It was match of tactics over speed and stamina. Knowing that his lads would not be able to cope-up with speedy NISA, Mohammedan coach Shabbir Ali, played a posessional game.

Sporting meant business right from the starting of the game. In the very 1st minute, Edu floated a nice long ball for Jyothikumar, and Jyothikumar in turn made complete a mess of it. It was Edu’s turn in the 8th minute, he was completely caught unaware of a ball centered from right wing.

Theo made a good solo run in the 10th minute and gave the final pass for Edu, which the later failed to connect.

The midfield operated very well for Mohammedan with Jyotikumar making speedy runs from both sides in turn. The defense too, lead by Aussie Samuel Jordan and Anupam Sarkar carried out their role.

Mohammedan looked more composed today. Edu was sharper on the dead ball situations and Theo made several solo runs from the half.

NISA came close to scoring in the 35th minute with a nice move, Santosh Singh made a long area with the ball, and then crossed the ball from the right, the ball beat keeper Nassem but, couldn’t get into the direction of the goal.

Jyotikumar, operating quickly from the left flank was brought down in 38th minute. Set-piece expert, Edu took a curving free-kick to the left-post, the ball hit the keeper’s chest, Theo managed to get the ball on the rebound, and put it inside the net.

A serious lapse in defense from Debkumar Sashmal could have cost Sporting a goal in the 2nd minute of 2nd half. Theo continuously attacked from the front, however, he failed to the score any more goal. At times he took too long to move inside the box and later outsmarted by NISA defense. He should have scored at least 2 more goals today.

NISA made few quick counters, but they lacked the sharpness in the striking area.

Edu displayed some exemplary skills with the ball today, though he lacks on speed and tenacity, but he covered that with his some crisp-touches and error-free passes.

The match official was almost going to blow his long whistle, when the 2nd goal came for Mohammedan. Theo seized the ball from the opponent and passed it to medio Babin, who in turn, passed the ball from the penalty box region to Edu. Edu coming from the right side, shot the ball accurately to the goal.

Talking to GardenCity Soccer Stars, coach Shabbir Ali, sounded satisfied. He said the boys played better football today. He liked the way his boys created goal scoring opportunities, though missed many. However, he is confident about increasing the conversion rates. Striker Edu, who had a field day today, looked happy to be within the goals.

NISA coach, Lakhsmichand Singh blamed inexperience for the result today. “It is a learning experience for us, out guys lacks the experience needed in this level”. He will try to blood some rookies in the next game and expects to put up a better show.

Mohammedan Sporting plays against board leader HAL in their 3rd round match on Sunday, May 9, 4 pm.

Result:

• ONGC 1 (Badmus Babatunde-47’) Vasco Sports Club 0
• Mohammedan Sporting 2 (Theodore Sunday-38’ and Edu-90+3) NISA, Manipur 0

Next Match - May 8 (Round 3):

• Sesa Football Academy versus Oil India, 2 pm
• Malabar United versus ONGC, 4 pm

Mohammedan only manages a draw against ONGC

It was an apparent tame start for Mohammedan Sporting in the I-League 2nd division final round. They were down by a goal in the most of the time, until a smart free kick from Brazilian Edu Escobar in the 75th minute helped them to garner 1 point.

Mohammedan started well with some nice moves from the center. However, they conceded goal in the 32nd minute when ONGC skipper Jatin Singh Bist gave an accurate pass to Naresh, Naresh obliged his skippers pass with a nice curling kick to the far post, which was beyond the reach of the stretched keeper Nasim Akhtar.

Mohammedan defense lacked the much needed coordination with several miss passes. ONGC’s striker Babatudne came close to scoring in couple of occasions.

Striker duo Edu and Liberian Teodor Sunday Wobreh lacked mobility and failed to penetrate. Rather than moving with the ball, Edu depended heavily on his set-piece moves.

Mohammedan coach and former India international, Shabbir Ali replaced a mid-fielder Nelandra Deewan for a defender in Anupam Sarkar in the second-half. This was a smart move as Nelandra’s inclusion gave stability in the midfield for Mohammedan.

Mohammedan could have leveled in early second half - Jyothi Kumar put a fine cross for Theo in the 49th minute, however, the Liberian’s shot, who received the ball and was wonderfully positioned went wide.

The equalizer came when Nelandra Deewan was brought-down at the top of the box. Edu, whose earlier 3 free-kicks failed to yield any result, was successful this time - his kick on the right side of the post had precision, kissed the horizontal bar, and went inside the goal.

In the  87th minute, keeper Nasim Akthar came up with a brilliant save from Babatunde shot.

The ONGC stoppers, Krishna Shirodkar and Bolaji Majek kept the defense tight, they didn’t give much space to Theo and Edu to maneuver. They pressed hard in the later part of 2nd half with replacement Tarif Ahmed and Babatunde combining well, ably supported by Jatin Bist from the mid-field, however, they failed to score any goal.

NISA Oil India Split Points

In what could be termed as the most entertaining match so far in the 2nd division final phase, two teams from the North-East played a fast-paced game. Oil India took the lead in the 33rd minute thru an H Wary goal, few minutes later NISA scored the equalizer via Malemnganba Meetei. 

The teams from Manipur and Assam had the speed, however, the strikers lacked the finishing touch. Manipuri fans thronged the stadium in huge numbers.

 Result:

• Mohammedan Sporting Club 1(Edu Escobar-75’) versus ONGC 1(A Naresh-32’)
• NISA, Manipur 1(Malemnganba Meetei 41') versus Oil India 1(H. Wary 33')

Next Match - May 4 (Round 2):

• Malabar United versus Sesa Football Academy, 2 pm
• HAL versus Oil India, 4 pm