The Hindu : Sport : SBT wins a thriller

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 18, 2006

Sport

Sport

SBT wins a thriller

Principal Correspondent

KOZHIKODE: SBT beat Viva Kerala 3-2 in a thriller in the Royal Challenge State football league at the Corporation Stadium here on Monday. The win helped SBT top Pool `B', while Viva was placed second. In the semifinals, Viva takes on Travancore Titanium on Tuesday while SBT meets KSEB on Wednesday.

Asif makes the difference

In an evenly contested encounter it was the individual brilliance of T. Asif Sahir, which made the difference. The pocket dynamite scored SBT's opening goal and set up the other two. He created opportunities for at least another two goals, but was let down by his teammates up front. There was a star for Viva too - Baba Thunde, the Nigerian who scored two splendid goals.

For the first half-hour of the game, Viva struggled to contain the bankmen, who moved like a well-oiled machine, with their trademark short, swift passes. Asif drew first blood in the 20th minute, curling an Abdul Noushad pass in from the edge of the box. But Viva found the equaliser 13 minutes later when Baba came up with a fine solo effort, as he beat a couple of defenders as well as the `keeper after receiving a pass from Denson Devadas.

A shot in the arm

The goal worked wonders for Viva's confidence, as it attacked with more confidence and defended with more courage. Suddenly, SBT' rhythm was broken. But the scored stayed 1-1 at half-time.

It was Viva which showed more urgency when the second-half kicked off, and Baba put his team ahead in the 61st minute, driving the ball in from the just outside the box after getting an excellent long ball from Suresh. Viva's hopes of a great victory, however, were dashed by Asif, who duped the rival defenders with great skill. His well measured cross from the left helped Abdul Hakkim level the scores in the 76th minute with a header from close in. Two minutes later, Abdul Noushad slotted the ball in off a rebound from the Viva custodian following another fine move by the Asif-Hakkim duo.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail