The Hindu : Sport / Football : Vasco does SBT a favour

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 14, 2007
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Vasco does SBT a favour

M.R. Praveen Chandran

KANNUR: State Bank of Travancore, Thiruvananthapuram entered the semifinals of the E.K. Nayanar Memorial Gold Cup international football tournament and it has to thank Vasco Goa for that. The Goans upset Pakistan XI 2-1 in the last league match of Group `A' at the Municipal Jawahar stadium here on Friday to do SBT a great favour.

The Pakistan team which needed a win to ensure a place in the semifinals never looked like achieving its objective with its timid approach. Instead it was the indomitable spirit of the Goans which put it in good stead in the key encounter. It was a pity that the best performance from the Goans came a bit late in the tournament.

Pakistan XI flattered to deceive and it terribly missed Mohammed Essa who didn't play because of an injury. From the start it was the Goans who played positively. As the Pakistan players struggled it was the Goans who settled into a fine rhythm.

The first goal came during the period of Goan ascendancy. A foul kick earned by the Goans from just outside the penalty box saw Kamal Thapa curl a wicked left-footer. Satyandas Das met the ball with a rasping header, the ball was, however, saved on the goalline by Pakistan defender Misabh-ul-Hassan. But Keke Ibrahim quickly latched on to the rebound and scored with a right footer in the 17th minute.

The goal failed to produce any sense of urgency from the Pakistan team. As the match meandered along came the Pakistan team's equaliser much against the run of play. Roberto Fernandez was penalised for handling the ball inside the box and Shahid Ahmed converted the resultant penalty in the 43rd minute.

The Pakistan team started the second half on a positive note but the Goans wrested control of the proceedings with gritty display in the midfield. The Goans strung a series of well chalked out moves that had their rivals scurrying for cover. The Pakistan team had a close shave in the 65th minute when Merin Fernandez connected a free-kick from Kamal Thapa but the ball missed the goal by a whisker.

A defensive error resulted in the second Vasco goal. The Pakistan defender Kamaran Khan intercepted a high ball and headed the ball back to the goalkeeper. But the header was feeble and before the goalkeeper could react, Angleo D'souza latched on to it and placed the ball into the net with a right-footer.

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