ICF and Indian Bank crash out

By Our Special Correspondent

PONDICHERRY, JUNE 9. HAL, Bangalore, reduced to 10 by half-time was strong enough to script a 1-0 win and knockout ICF, Chennai in the Pondicherry Millennium all-India invitation football tournament at the floodlit Indira Gandhi complex here on Friday.

It is altogether a different matter that the all important goal was more or less a gift from ICF goalkeeper Chittaranjan, who was sloppy in collecting a Dayanand cross from the far side. Jayakar, standing close to him, had only to jut his right leg and the ball slipped past the goalline, despite a vain effort by Muniyandi to rush back and save. That was totally a avoidable damage for ICF which came in the 41st minute.

The Chennai league leader has much to improve in releasing the ball and in the final finish. Not a side that has performed much in outside tournaments, ICF lived up to that none too pleasing distinction. Against a fast moving players who often showed variations in strategy, the HAL side proved to be a difficult opponent.

But the Bangalore side was not at its best, even showing no qualms at times to play rough. Dayanand paid the price around the stroke of halftime by his indiscrete act of kicking ICF player Muniyandi. The Chennai player also retaliated and both earned yellow card bookings, only in the case of Dayanand it happened to his second in the match and that meant automatic expulsion with a red card punishment. That three other HAL players later received caution was ample proof of the mood the Bangalore players were in.

The early exchanges did not indicate any team dictating the trend. Action kept moving from one end to the other, and if anything ICF forwards Ravi and Shaji looked closer to doing the damage. Ravi once beat HAL goalkeeper Subhash's grasp of the ball, but failed to capitalise. Then Shaji tried a 30-yard dipper which Subhash tipped over just in time.

If much was expected of ICF in the post breather phase then the Chennai team disappointed with shoddy show upfront. Ravi was miserably bottled up, Shaji was erratic so was Sladen. Then once substitute Murali banged out a Ravi cross from scoreable distance. Infact HAL defence even if not all its tackles passed muster, stood up to the task.

Later, another Chennai team crashed out. Karnataka Police, Bangalore, which did not impress in its win over Pondicherry on Thursday, presented a different look today in beating Indian Bank with two first half goals to earn a berth in the quarterfinals league. Pradeep Kumar (26th) and Shyam Kumar (39th) were the scorers.

The Bank team, which has been going through a depressing phase, continued in that low-key mode. Indeed, if a team finds its schemer Hamilton Bobby invisible for most of the time and has a striker like Sabir Pasha miscuing, then what more can be said.

Only briefly in the second session when Bobby got his curling floaters working did the Police end come under siege. Barring a series of flag kicks nothing materialised. In any case with a crowded defence Karnataka Police was not going to lose grip of its ascendancy. Having come as a last minute entrant, the Bangalore team has already made big strides.

Saturday's matches: HAL vs Vasco, Goa (5 p.m.); Salgaocar vs Air India (7 p.m.).

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