Kerala thrashes Gujarat

By Our Sports Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 15. Kerala began its title quest with a flattering 6-0 win over Gujarat in a Cluster I encounter of the National junior football championship for the Dr. B. C. Roy Trophy at the Chandrasekharan Nair stadium here on Tuesday.

A. B. Khabir (9th, 55th and 60th), Binoop (26th), Dileep (33rd) and Sivadath Roni (53rd) scored for the host against Gujarat which was outplayed in all aspects of the game. However, the victory margin masks Kerala's erratic finishing as its forwards after having the rival defenders at their mercy squandered many gilt-edged chances.

The home team wrested the initiative from the start itself and in the first five minutes had three good opportunities to score. But it did not take much time for Kerala to shoot into the lead through Khabir in the 9th-minute.

The crucial move was initiated by Dinesh whose searing run down the left flank caught the rival defence on the backfoot and his back pass from the edge of the penalty box was booted in by Khabir who left unchallenged.

Kerala missed a string of opportunities to increase the lead before Binoop scored the second goal in the 26th minute, latching on to a loose ball inside the rival penalty box and unleashed a stiff right footer which was bang on target.

A nice one-two by Dileep and Khabir ended in the former placing the ball into the far corner of the net for the third goal in the 33rd minute.

Kerala took a while to settle down in the second half and in the meanwhile Gujarat did make some half-hearted attempts to claw its way back into the match. But the Kerala defence was equal to the task, checking the progress of the rival forwards without taking any chances. The Gujarat goal fell thrice, thereafter, within a space of seven minutes.

The fourth goal was largely due to mistake of Gujarat goalkeeper Dinesh who came out of his charge to thwart Sivadath Roni who coolly placed the ball into the open net. Khabir headed in a rebound to score the fifth goal in the 53rd-minute after Dileep's first timer hit the far post and bounced back into play. Five minutes later, Khabir was again in thick of action as his 25 yard left footer curled into the far corner of the net.

In another Cluster I match, Madhya Pradesh overcame Pondicherry by a solitary goal scored by Altafuddin in the 18th minute. MP's domination was pronounced as the side displayed better coordination in the midfield and had the better of the exchanges.

However, it was unable to translate its territorial advantage into goals as it forwards failed to convert the chances that came their way. Pondicherry played second fiddle to its rival and moreover, its players seemed to be short of ideas as they entered the rival penalty area.

Bihar, semifinalist in last edition, started its campaign with a 3-0 win over Meghalaya in Cluster II. Syed Rahim Nabi (6th and 80th) and Krishni Todu (74th) bulged the net for the winner. Goa bested Chandigarh 1-0 through a 60th minute strike by Volan D'basta, in the other match of the day.

Earlier, the Kerala Governor, Mr. Sukhdev Singh Kang, inaugurated the fortnight-long event.

Kerala's M. Binoop (left) tries to work his way past Gujarat's Kamesh Pal in Cluster I encounter of the National junior football championship for the Dr. B. C. Roy Trophy at the Chandrasekharan Nair stadium at Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday

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