Date:05/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/05/stories/2005050507722000.htm

Sport - Football

Travancore Titanium in final

Sports Reporter

THRISSUR: Travancore Titanium, Thiruvananthapuram, squeezed out a hard fought 3-1 win over Central Excise, Kochi, and moved into the final of the N.I. David memorial State club football championship at the Corporation stadium here on Wednesday.

Striker Ebin Rose's opportunism once gave the cutting edge to Titanium, which rode on his brace to enter the final for the fifth straight time.

Ebin Rose struck in the 19th and 82nd minutes while U. Shahjahan scored in the 66th minute. Central Excise was left ruing the missed chances in the match in which it ran its rival close especially in the second half. All it had to show for its tenacity was the lone goal scored by Bijesh Ben in the 60th minute. Titanium was the clearly the superior side in the first half. Kochi side allowed Titanium to have more of ball possession. Titanium created more chances in the first half.

Ebin Rose asserted his side's supremacy by scoring in the 19th minute. Ebin had another close look at the goal in the 28th minute but goalkeeper Shinu Joseph blocked his shot. At stroke of half-time, Shabeer hit the upright with a long ranger from 25 yards.

The contest turned lively in the second half when Central Excise came out of its defensive mindset to launch an all-out attack.

With some hard tackles, Central Excise won the ball in the midfield and the trio of Hanson, M.K. Sunil and Bijesh Ben stretched the Titanium defence. In the 52nd minute goalkeeper Anil fisted out away a long ranger from Hanson. Four minutes later, M.K. Sunil and Bijesh Ben combine breached the Titanium defence and a right footer from Bijesh Ben hit the post and bounced out. However, Bijesh Ben scored from an acute angle in the 60th minute to draw level. The momentum was with Central Excise but Titanium went ahead in the 66th minute against the run of play when a grounder from Shahjahan caught the Central Excise goalkeeper on the wrong foot.

The goalkeeper, who had let in a similar goal in the first half, was late to react to the shot. Central Excise's game went on a downslide and the side could not match the intensity it showed at the start of the second half. Barring a few aimless long rangers from its strikers, there were a few attempts to chalk out moves to test the rival defence. Ebin Rose capped a fine day for him with an excellent goal from 35 yards. .