A near coup by Bhratri Sangha

By Our Sports Reporter

KOLKATA, SEPT. 29. CSL Bhratri Sangha realised the incredible, holding Brazil's top club Palmeiras' B team to a 1-1 draw here at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday. Playing the concluding pre- quarterfinals group-D league match of the 107th IFA Shield football tournament, the local team matched the famed visitor strength to strength to bring up the surprise result.

Ironically, the inspiring performance failed to brighten Bhratri Sangha's tournament prospects as the team had to bow out of the meet having the least number of points in the three-team group league table. Palmeiras topped the group with four points (from a win against Tata Football Academy (TFA) and the Saturday's draw). TFA took the runner-up spot on account of the three points it gained from its 2-1 win over Bhratri Sangha, which had to be content with only one point earned from today's draw.

In a group-B match, FC Kochin struggled against local qualifier Ever Ready FC before managing a win by the closest of margins, 1- 0. The narrow win somewhat compounded the equation for the Kerala giant which lost the top spot of the group to Mohun Bagan on goal difference, and will now has the task of taming the defending champion, Kingfisher East Bengal, on its home soil.

Both Mohun Bagan and FC Kochin, who drew 1-1 meeting each other, are tied on four points each, but the former topped the group on account of having scored more goals against Ever Ready.

The knock-out quarterfinals will open on Monday with Mohun Bagan, the group-B leader, taking on group-A runner-up Manaksia Tollygunge Agragami. On Tuesday, FC Kochin (group-B runner-up) will meet East Bengal (group-A winner).

Group-C winner Muktijoddha Sangshad will meet group-D runner-up TFA, and group-D topper Palmeiras-B will play Vietnam's Nam Dinh in the two quarterfinals scheduled on Wednesday.

Babun Kar, the 19-year-old Bhratri Sangha defender, was the hero of the day having scored the equaliser against Palmeiras in the 63rd minute. And when the local team had successfully weathered the remaining time preserving the scoreline, the jubilations at the stadium befitted a historic deed.

The Brazilians apparently made the mistake of measuring Bhratri Sangha in the same lines as TFA-its first opponent. While TFA showed more exuberance than tact, the Kolkata team did just the opposite in bottling up its opponent well above the danger zone.

In the end, the result commended the tactical shrewdness of the Bhratri Sangha coach Shabbir Ali who had definitely devised the right potion to tame the seemingly invincible opponent.

Palmeiras started the match on a offensive note and had its central half, Andre Viapana, rattling the upright with a free- kick in the fifth minute. This was followed by a few more incursions by the Brazilians into the Bhratri Sangha territory but a goal never resulted owing to the alacrity of the Sangha defenders.

It required the finesse of the Palmeiras' under-17 World Cup campaigner, Gustavo Estaves, whose measured cross helped striker Hilton Moreira head home the lead in the 20th minute. Palmerias was denied another opportunity in the 43rd minute as the Bhratri custodian, Abhijit Mondal, brought up a diving save on a Estavez free-kick.

Having seen its opponent more interested in defending in the first session, the Brazilians tended to relax more in the second. Given the space and the freedom by a complacent opposition, Bhratri players utilised the opportunity to strike back. Babun Kar did a nice job moving up on the overlap from his position as the right-back. And on having moved up to the opposition box, Kar exchanged a pass with Iraqi midfielder Safaa Abdul Hamid to shake off his markers before finishing the move with an angular volley that beat the Palmeiras goalkeeper, Miranda Moraes, all ends up.

And with the equaliser under its belt, Bhratri put extra men in its defence to preserve the well-earned draw.

Josiah Seton scores winner

In the other match played at the Municipal Stadium, Howrah, FC Kochin met a rejuvenated Ever Ready. The local qualifier, which lost 1-3 against Mohun Bagan, came out with all its guns blazing against the visitor. Having survived the initial forays from Ever Ready, FC Kochin seemed to get its rhythm back as the match progressed.

The Kerala team eared a penalty in the 41st minute after it Liberian striker, Philip Karnga, was brought down inside the box by Ever Ready defender Ziaur Rehman. The other Liberian striker, Josiah Seton, scored the spot-kick to earn the lead for FC Kochin.

The visiting team played a cautious game in the second session and had the lead enduring till the final whistle.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Gandhi and cricket
Next     : Size does matter for Nigeria