Air India ousts Mohdammedan Sporting

By S.R. Suryanarayan

CHENNAI, AUG. 17. How fortunes change with time! A favourite with the crowd and for the title at the same venue 20 years ago, Mohammedan Sporting is just a pale shadow of its once giant status. It had succumbed to Mohun Bagan then in the final.

It crashed out 0-1 on Friday to the youthful Air India brigade from Mumbai in its very first outing in the current Federation Cup football tournament at the floodlit Nehru stadium.

No longer is the team packed with redoubtable names like in the past, and its approach too lacked the lustre usually associated with a Bengal team. Air India fully capitalised on this, gave the rival a torrid time by being one step ahead whether in getting to the ball or in running away with it or in scheming. In fact the scoreline will hardly reflect the domination that Air India had almost right through. Air India Coach Bimal Ghosh is known for his ability to get the best out of his players. He had an under- 23 player from the Indian camp, Tomba Singh, playing as a withdrawn forward, while using the livewire under-19 player Narendra Meetei, about whom he has high hopes, for the thrust upfront.

With Samson Singh and Harish Sharma to give it teeth, the Air India frontline caught the attention immediately after kick-off. Dennis George marshalled the midfield and in the defence experience was ensured through Naushad Moosa, who however came in for notice more for his phenomenal throw-ins, one of which should have yielded a goal.

Talking of goals, Air India must have missed more than a handful, still the way the team monopolised the exchanges a goal always seemed imminent. But the moderate crowd had to first sit through the quota of goalmouth skirmishes, misdirected kicks and scenes of ball eluding the cage. Tomba was in the thick of action in many such moments with Sharma and Meetei the culprits in wasting opportunities.

Midway through came one of Moosa's gigantic throw-ins that saw the ball drop in the goal-area, Harish got his head to the ball but directed it wide. That Mohammedans earned the first flag kick past the half hour mirrors the flow of action.

But then, despite the paucity of opportunities, the Kolkata squad did show that when given a little room it could still wreak havoc. As Ayaz almost did, with a rare diagonal pass off Md. Rafique, leaving the rival defence behind. Goalkeeper Israt Kamaal charged out frantically but failed to stop Ayaz from lobbing, but the ball elude even the rectangle.

That certainly was a stirring sight, a warning from which Air India recoiled tellingly for the goal, the first during play in the current competition, which came a minute before half- time. A defence lapse formed the medium, Meetei pounced on the chance, switched the ball to the goalmouth where despite goalkeeper Imran Khan interfering, Samson could head in.

Mohammedans made a game try but failed in the face of youthful exuberance. Even though the side seemed to get its passes organised, as the contest wore on, the perfection needed for the end result was wanting. Still the tries by substitute Amjad Hussain, a backheader once and a 30-yarder later, held promise. But as it happens when attack becomes the chosen alternative, the defence can get exposed through a sudden turnaround.

Air India's tearaway runs proved just that, as in the 87th minute the Mumbai side seemed to have been rewarded when Moosa deflected in Steven Dias' cross only he was caught offside.

SBT makes short work of ICF

Later in the floodlight bathed arena, the crowd witnessed the eclipse of the last local challenge, lucky entrant ICF, which was trounced by SBT, Thiruvananthapuram 5-1.

It did not matter that ICF started the scoring with Kulothungan, who looked the most capable to score, making the most of a Marcel Sladen cross. But that only stung the Kerala team into retaliating, with telling results.

Despite being without seven of its regular players, who shifted allegiance to FC Kochin in the recent transfers after SBT had slipped from the NFL premier league, the side showed it still had depth. Not surprising when a no-nonsense coach Najeeb, who had thrilled the Madras fans way back in 1981 with his delectable runs and skills, was at the helm.

Starting with the 15th minute effort, Abdul Naushad struck thrice in the space of a quarter hour. Strictly, it cannot be a hat- trick because in between Shivakumar sent a 30-yard free kick which took ICF defender Adharsan Raju's head enroute to goal. The goal was credited to Shivakumar.

Noushad's third goal, after his second came off Saheer and Shivakumar's assist, came minutes before half-time was off a spot kick after he was brought down by substitute Shaji. ICF appeared to settle down to purposeful play in the second session, at least the passing patterns and the few forays into the goal area by Kulothungan and Jagan were enterprising.

But SBT was still not stopped from slotting in the fifth goal, Ashif Saheer giving touch to a set piece passing bout involving him, Lanel Thomas and Ignatius. Thus ended ICF's brief stint on the big stage.

Saturday's matches: Vasco vs JCT (4-15 p.m.); Dempo Goa vs FC Kochin (6-30 p.m.).

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