Date:06/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/06/stories/2006050614791800.htm

Sport - Football

Exciting finish on the cards

TIRUR: Just two matches remain in the South Zone (under-21) football championship. After a rest day on Friday, Pondicherry takes on Andhra Pradesh on Saturday with both sides looking for their first points in the competition.

While the match will decide who finishes last, Sunday's clash between holder Karnataka and host Kerala will determine who will qualify for the Nationals.

It should be an exciting match. Though the home team needs only a draw, it's a must-win situation for the defending champion. That's because Kerala has a superior goal difference, which is taken into account in case of a tie at the top of this four-team round-robin event.

Both sides have been impressive so far, especially Kerala which demolished Pondicherry 7-0. Karnataka too showed a lot of improvement in its second match against Andhra.

At last, the spectators — though there haven't been too many of them here — could hope to see a well-contested match. — Principal Correspondent