The Hindu : Sport / Football : Air India stuns Dempo SC

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Sunday, Nov 04, 2007
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Air India stuns Dempo SC

Principal Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Air India edged past defending champion, Dempo Sports Club, Goa, 2-1 in an engrossing match to storm into the semifinals of the Osian’s Durand Cup football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Saturday.

In the semifinals of Monday, Air India will meet Churchill Brothers, Goa which swamped Central Railway 6-1.

Air India played offensive football from the start and took the lead in the third minute through Sanju D. Pradhan. Samson Singh’s free-kick from outside the box sailed over the wall forcing Dempo custodian V. P. Satish Kumar to punch it out, but a lurking Pradhan latched on to it and scored.

Dempo struggled to put it past a composed Air India for most part of the match. Three minutes from the halftime Nicolav Borges headed in a Chidi Edeh’s freekick to equalise.

But Air India had the last laugh when Santosh Koli slammed the winner in the 75th minute.

Churchill makes merry

Nigerian striker Odafe Onyeka Okolic went on a goal-binge, firing in five for Churchill Brothers after Central Railway took the lead in the sixth minute.

Kasih Jamal made no mistake in converting a penalty given for an unnecessary foul.

Spurred on by the early reverse, Okolic scored the equaliser — on a free-kick that deflected off the wall — in the 13th minute.

No one expected the tennis score-line, but the patchy Railway side deserved the beating as it lacked the cohesion to keep Churchill from breaking its defence.

Okolic found another when Thokcham Naoba Singh sent a long ball from left. Okolic chanced on it even as the Railway goalkeeper stepped out to tackle the striker. The Nigerian quickly turned and shot in to put Churchill 2-1 up.

Okolic was in more prolific form after the break, slamming in two goals in the space of four minutes — first coming in the 54th and next in 58th.

Churchill’s fifth goal came through a good teamwork with Mboyo Iyomi and Okolic working in tandem upfront. Iyomi did well to avoid the off-side trap and cleared the ball for Okolic who moved in tow with Khan Thang Paite before wading through two defenders to give Churchill a 5-1 lead in the 82nd minute.

Iyomi again found the opening and set his fellow Nigerian. This time though Okolic was marked but he returned the ball for Iyomi before Thangjam Singh put it in for a 6-1 victory.

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