Sport - Football   

Awesome display by Goa, Kerala

By S.R. Suryanarayan

Kerala's Angel Adolphes, who scored four goals, celebrates after putting one past the hapless Chandigarh goalkeeper Neetu Chouhan (foreground) in their senior women's National football championship match in Chennnai on Sunday. — Photo: K. Gajendran

Tripura 1 -- Karnataka 1

Goa 12 -- J & K 0

Kerala 10 -- Chandigarh 0

CHENNAI JUNE 8. Nature's bounty is still eagerly awaited in this part of the region but it was a different kind of rain at the Nehru stadium on Sunday, which resulted in a flood of goals — 24 in all — at the end of the first day's proceedings in the senior National women's football championship.

Tripura and Karnataka sent the right signals with a tight contest to set the ball rolling in the morning but the next two proved a washout in all respects. The lop-sided contests nonetheless brought focus on two women — Michelle Soares of Goa and Angel Adolphes of Kerala — both scoring four goals apiece, while running up huge victory margins for their respective States.

The significance of the evening match between Kerala and Chandigarh if any, was that it followed the formal inauguration by the Secretary, Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Ms. Susan Mathew and the march past by the various assembled teams.

Once the action began only one team played football, such was Kerala's domination and Chandigarh's woeful lack of ability. None reflected Chandigarh's misery more than its goal-keeper Neetu Chouhan, who looked totally out of sorts for the occasion.

Neetu's colleagues did not help her cause as the ball kept moving around the Chandigarh area for the most time with the close-cropped Angel Adolphes, Subitha Poovata and Seena being the key tormentors.

In comparison, Kerala, which was a quarterfinalist last time, showed better coordination and ability to work the ball up. Even the shots taken provided an insight into the training that had the players had undergone.

The rout started in the 26th minute and Angel showed the way through a gentle tap. If Neetu was flummoxed by that, then she seemed desperate by the frequency of raids towards her end. Angel headed in the second (30th), provided the pass for Subitha to finish (34th) before quietly finding the fourth goal (37th) also.

Suddenly the contest turned into a statistician's delight as there was the endless action of Neetu's capitulation and goals. Subitha relayed in Seena's cross (38th) and a minute before breather, Angel's 25-yarder went past Neetu's feeble defensive efforts. It was 6-0 at half time.

Though more goals followed — Seenu (41st and 63rd), susbtitutes Sheeba (71st) and Sheeja (80th)_ the match as a contest was long over. Almost like the way Goa despatched of Jammu and Kashmir earlier.

Starting with a first minute goal, Goa demolished all remnants of an opposition with a merciless display. J & K play was virtually in its half and the results showed with Goa's goals — Michelle Soares' four (6th, 13th, 45th, 61st), Sharon's three (1st, 32nd and 36th), Elwina Miranda's two (75th, 76th) and one each by Julie D'Silva (41st), Reshma D'souza (68th) and Maria A.F. Gomes (70th).

In the first match, the young Tripura side showed pluck and when it went up by a goal in 23th minute (Ruma Deb Barma), there was understandable joy. But Karnataka was able to earn an equaliser soon after through Amoolya (30th). From there the contest meandered on.

Before the evening's match, a minute's silence was observed in memory of a former State and Railways' player, M. Ganapathy (70) who passed away in the city on Saturday night.

Meanwhile Meghalaya has withdrawn leaving Group B with three teams Assam, Maharashtra and Delhi.

Monday's matches: Maharashtra v Delhi (2.45 p.m.); Tamil Nadu v U.P. (4.30 p.m.)

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