Kerala downs Goa to make final

By A. Vinod

THRISSUR, APRIL 19. It took time for the Kerala attack to strike rhythm with the beats of the drums from the galleries. But once it took off, there was no stopping the home side from ensuring its ninth entry into the final of the National football championship for the Santosh Trophy at the expense of Goa, runner-up through the last four years, at the Municipal stadium here on Wednesday.

Undoubtedly, it was Sylvester Ignatius, the scorer of both the goals that Kerala found today, who was the hero of the proceedings that was marked by the flair of the home team boys and robustness of the Goans in equal measure. Kerala's entry into the title-round for the first time since 1994 in Cuttack, where it was beaten by Bengal in a nerve-wrecking shootout, was also made possible by the equally fine display that came from the team's skipper Jo Paul Anchery and his right-stopper, Jiju Jacob.

Young Asif Saheer was also once again in focus for the manner in which he piled up pressure on the rival defence. Yet, it should also be conceded that the Goans did try their best and was beaten only after a dramatic turnaround in fortunes midway through the first session.

The threat of a heavy downpour which hung over the town since mid-afternoon disappeared in accordance with the wishes of the fans, but the slight drizzle seemed to have done much damage to Kerala's plans even as the match got underway. Already nervous of having to play before a huge turnout, the home team also found it tough to adjust to the wet ground conditions. And, but for a timely goalline save by Anchery against an effort by Francis Silveira off a free kick conversion by Francis Coelho, Kerala would have been in arrears almost straightaway.

Goa, in search of a fifth consecutive berth in the final, looked dangerous in the initial 25 minutes or so as it played on the nerves of the home team with a steady and probing attack. Most of these moves emanated from the flanks where, as usual, S. Venkatesh and Rocky Barreto were a useful link for Alvito D'Cunha and Silveira to progress into the rival goal area.

And when the foursome was joined by Jules Alberto, who took time to settle down, the Kerala goal was a scene of some hectic activity as D'Cunha and Silveira pressed hard to help their side forge ahead. The Goans looked comfortable in the defence as well, where Robert Fernandez and Franky Barreto presented sound confidence to nip in the bud itself any counter from the other end. The speed with which Goa carried out its raids also seemed to unsettle the home team even as D'Cunha and Alberto tried their luck from the top of the box and Rocky Barreto sneaked in to stretch Nelson with a rasping volley.

Then came the turnaround and what helped Kerala claw its way back into the match was I.M. Vijayan's long-range effort and the conversion of the resultant rebound off Juje Siddi by K. Noushad. The goal was disallowed as Asif Saheer was pulled up for off- side, and even if this may have led to disillusionment to the crowd, the effort helped Kerala gain in confidence.

Realising well that the Goan stranglehold could be broken through sustained effort, the home side egged on by its supporters went on to match its rival before Ignatius, back from a hamstring injury, send the crowd into raptures.

Fed with a through pass from the middle, Ignatius was quick enough to make inroads into the rival territory where Franky Barreto seemed to have covered the Kerala forward as he pushed the ball away. However, the SBT forward regained possession as he turned in a flash from the Goan defender and then chipped the ball straight into the goal. Juje Siddi misread the flight and was nowhere in position to stop the ball.

It looked as if Saheer, who had emerged into the goalmouth in a flash, had guided the ball with a soft header, but it was later confirmed by the referee, Udayan Halder, that the damage was already done by Ignatius' chip before Saheer came along. The smiles were back on the faces of the home team fans.

Goa, slowed down by now after its initial burst, brought in its experienced striker, Bruno Coutinho, at the start of the second- half and thereafter Denis Carbal and Levy Coelho to see to it that the pressure was maintained. But then, Anchery and Jiju was equal to the task as they withstood the Goan rally with a dazzling performance in the rear. The duo were fully in control as they combined well and kept the dashing Goans under check.

Boniface, who had struggled all along to find form in the middle, was replaced by M.K. Sunil, in between, and the replacement worked wonders as Kerala stormed back into the picture and put the issue beyond doubt. It was Saheer who this time around provided the crucial pass for Ignatius to find the net as he crept into the Goan half through the left and found the latter unmarked near the top of the box. His powerful shot brooked no reply once again from Juje Siddi.

The remaining 24 minutes of play saw Kerala hold back the efforts of Goa to salvage its pride with fast counters that also saw Ignatius, Saheer and Vijayan have a close look at the rival goal before the final whistle went off.

The Kerala coach, M.M. Jacob, was naturally elated with his team's fine show and was at a loss for words to comment initially before paying rich compliments to his boys. ``It was a team effort. The boys were unsettled at the start but was able to prove their real worth with a good allround display. The performance by Ignatius, Saheer, Vijayan, Anchery and Jiju should stand the team in good stead in the final.''

On the other hand, the Goan coach, Marcus Pachelo was quite disappointed. ``It was a good match and I am thoroughly happy with the performance of my side. Kerala, however, played better than us and was a deserving winner,'' he said holding back his disappointment.

Bengal will take on Maharashtra in the second semifinal on Thursday.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Impressive show by Chaoba, Lenindro
Next     : Former international left in the lurch