The Hindu : Sport / Football : Mahindra United enters the final

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Mahindra United enters the final

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: A sensational strike by Edeh Chidi sank JCT and carried Mahindra United into the final of the 121st Osian’s Durand Cup football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Thursday. Mahindra United won 2-1 after trailing by a first half goal.

Chidi hit JCT when it mattered — in injury time. His 30-yarder crashed into the net after hitting the post, giving goalkeeper Karanjit Singh no chance.

Lacking cohesion

Lack of cohesion was evident in the Mahindra ranks as Chidi and Douhous Pieree found themselves under constant pressure to create openings. Chidi was not at his best but Pieree did not relent, always looking for that half-chance.

Even as Sushanth Mathew played his heart out in the middle, Mahindras failed to make a dent in the JCT defence where Anwar Ali was a towering figure with support from Julius Akpele, Daljit Singh and Jaspal Singh.

Defence was not JCT’s worry at any point, not even when Mathew broke into the box in a counter attack but his weak shot was an anti-climax to a fine run. Chidi also had only a weak shot to offer early in the match when Mahindras made the early forays.

JCT had planned its game well and chose to wait for the opportunities. Counter-attacks at a rapid pace saw JCT gradually coming to terms with the game. The midfield worked well as Baljit Singh and Jagpreet Singh kept an eye on Chidi and triggered off some superb moves on the flanks.

Desperate long rangers saw JCT losing its grip. The drives were ill-directed mostly but JCT left Mahindras craving for the ball as the session neared its end.

Spectacular strike

And then Balwant Singh struck spectacularly to put JCT ahead in the 44th minute after shaking off defender D. Ravanan, who put up a sterling display in the Mahindras defence.

Subhasish Roy had looked shaky under the bar and was close to being replaced.

But Mahindras coach Derrick Pereira delayed his decision and Roy fumbled to allow JCT the chance to score. His weak punch was headed back by Anwar and Balwant produced a scorching reverse kick that left Mahindras stunned.

Mahindras hit back in the second half with Chidi and the hard-working Rafi creating some splendid moves. JCT buckled under the pressure, staved off a couple of threats but succumbed in the 72nd minute when Paresh Shivalkar clinched the equalizer. From a corner, the ball was floated by Pieree and headed by Stephen to be finished by Shivalkar with a deft right footer.

The JCT defence paid for rare slackness inside the box. On other occasions, Chidi, Shivalkar and Pieree missed scoring chances as JCT ran out of wind and wit, before eventually losing to a team that played the crucial second half better.

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