Date:29/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/29/stories/2006092907802200.htm

Sport - Football

Chetri is the key man for Delhi

Principal Correspondent

FARIDABAD: Sunil Chetri holds the key to Delhi's campaign in the 61st National football championship for the Santosh Trophy being played here.

Chetri revived Delhi's hopes when he came good against Orissa and then slotted in a hat-trick against Railways after Delhi had lost to Jammu and Kashmir in its opening match.

On Friday, Delhi will again turn to Chetri to deliver when it takes on Tamil Nadu in the pre-quarterfinal play-off at the Sector 12 Sports Complex here.

"We expect Chetri to do well, but it was a team effort that saw Delhi qualify thus far," said Delhi coach Anadi Barua.

Delhi qualified from Cluster VII, while Tamil Nadu made it through from Cluster VIII, ahead of Jharkhand, Tripura and Uttaranchal.

"We are a confident side and have won all our league matches, which no other team in the pre-quarterfinals stage have done," Tamil Nadu coach, V. Soundarajan, said.

"Raman Vijayan and K. Kulothungan will be our main strikers and I hope they will deliver the goods against Delhi also," he added.

Meanwhile, at the Gurgaon Sports Complex, Karnataka takes on surprise packet Chhattisgarh. Karnataka made it through a three-team cluster comprising Gujarat and Nagaland, while Chhattisgarh shocked former champion, Manipur, to qualify from Cluster V.