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Football
Mahindra United, Salgaocar match ends in a draw
By Our Special Correspondent
MUMBAI, DEC. 31. Mahindra United maintained its unbeaten record with a hard-fought goalless draw with Salgaocar Sports Club in a Sixth National Football League match on Monday.
Goalkeeper Kalyan Chaubey's excellent form under the bar, carried over from the Santosh Trophy when he put up an outstanding show for Goa till the final, denied the Mumbai team an outright victory.
Chaubey got a taste of things to come early in the first half when a hasty attempt by Mahindra defender Tapon Ghosh saw the ball rolling across the goalmouth and bouncing wide of the right post, much to the disappointment of teammate Jules Alberto whose effort in pulling the ball back into after a spurt on the right went down the drain.
Salgaocar striker Alvito D'Cunha forced rival goalkeeper Virender Singh in a spot of bother, lobbing the ball over the defender with his back to the goal. Fellow striker Bruno Coutinho followed up the move but showed no inclination to go up for the header even as a relieved Virender leapt up and grabbed the ball. Coutinho, later replaced by Climax Lawrence in the second half, attributed a calf injury as the reason for his struggle on the field.
Chaubey came up with two saves, the second off a Austin Okolo left-footer outstanding, stretching out with his right to grab a looping shot by the Nigerian striker. The Salgaocar custodian rescued his side again with a diving collection low to left post when Mahindra defender Eroje attempted to surprise him with a long-ranger. Bala Usman, the third Nigerian to make a debut this season in the Mumbai team ranks, came closest to netting the match-winner, but blasted the ball wide late in the second half.
The match was played at a frenetic pace in the second session, resulting in a lot of activity in the defence and midfield but both teams were unable to hit the decisive final pass.
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