For the second year in succession, Chennai emerged winner in the State senior football championship for the S.A. Naidu Trophy.
In the final of the championship hosted by Tirunelveli in V.K. Puram recently, Chennai edged the host 5-4 in the tie-breaker. Both teams were locked goalless at full time.
What was particularly satisfying for the ad hoc committee of the Tamil Nadu Football Association which is looking after CFA affairs in the district was that the team had won despite the absence of several regular players who were doing duty for the State in the Santosh Trophy national championship in Guwahati.
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“We had held a separate selection trial to pick the team. A few who could not make it to the State team to Guwahati also joined the trials,” said S. Suresh, Convenor of the Committee.
Coach Unni from SAI said good performance came from David, Karthikeyan and Karthik. He said after the comfortable win over Pudukottai and Sivaganga, the real test came in the semifinal against a youthful Cuddalore. Chennai managed a 2-1 win to meet and, as it happened, beat the host in the final.
“The crowding strategy adopted by Tirunelveli forced the final to a draw at the end of regular and extra time and the tie was resolved through penalties,” he said.
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Having won the under-19 and under-21 State titles earlier, Chennai had in a way completed a hat-trick this time.