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Delightful display by Kerala XI

Principal Correspondent

KANNUR: Kerala XI played fascinating football to outplay Mohammedan AC (Kolkata) 2-0 in the second E.K. Nayanar Memorial Gold Cup tournament at the Municipal Jawahar Stadium here on Wednesday. O.K. Javed scored both the goals and was named ‘man of the match.’

The win, its first, has raised hopes of a semifinal berth for the home side, while the Kolkatans crashed out with their second defeat in as many days.

Flawless display

It was a near flawless performance from Kerala XI. It attacked with gusto, made a series of well-orchestrated moves, defended stoutly and never allowed the rival to come back into the match. It was a deserving win for a young side coached by former Indian goalkeeper Victor Manjila.

Javed’s first goal was a beauty. He dashed into the box, almost from nowhere, to head home a neat cross from the left by Jacken Sebastian, who was fed by K.V. Kalesh. The goal came in the 18th minute and Kerala XI continued to put pressure on the Kolkatan side, with Bijesh Ben on the right wing and C.S. Saleel on the right always trying to create chances.

Scoring again

In the second half too, Kerala XI was constantly attacking the Mohammedan AC goal and it looked as if it was only a matter of time before it scored again. And it did, in the 66th minute. A cross from Saleel down the left found Prasoon inside the box and Javed was well placed to give the finishing touches.

It was a disappointing show by the Kolkatans, who had put up a decent performance on Tuesday against Sporting Clube de Goa. That their hard-working striker Olowonilafe Seheed had an off day didn’t help their cause.

On Thursday, Ferroviaria, Sao Paulo, will take on Sporting Clube de Goa.

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