Date:19/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/19/stories/2008011954701800.htm

Sport - Football

New Delhi Heroes in final

Principal Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Striker Baba Tunde scored two goals and also stood in defence as New Delhi Heroes rallied from a goal down to beat Tarun Sangha 4-2 and make the final of the SAIL-ONGC Delhi Soccer Association’s senior division football championship at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Friday.

New Delhi Heroes will take on the last year’s runners-up Indian National FC in the final on Monday. Tarun Sangha started brilliantly with its midfielders Shankar Das and Basudeb Bera initiating constant moves.

Sangha’s inside-right Charles Egmore put his team 1-0 up in the 20th minute when he collected a pass from right winger Srikanto Das.

But New Delhi Heroes recovered it composure in time as substitute Gyan restored parity shooting from the top of the box within a few minutes of conceding the goal.

As the teams were back on level, tempers started flaring up and the referee had difficult time controlling.

Stanley of Heroes and Sangha’s Shankar Das were shown yellow cards.

Later, Sangha suffered a major blow when its custodian Kazi Islam was given marching orders following second yellow card. Sangha was reduced to nine players when Prashant Jaggi was red carded for punching Heroes’ Amjad and Krispen.

On changing the ends, Tunde tormented the Sangha defence and put Heroes 2-1 up in the 47th minute.

He scored the fourth goal in the 65th minute, while in between Harvinder Singh (62nd) gave Heroes a plenty of hope.

Sangha managed to reduce the margin when it scored off a penalty in the 83rd minute when Egmore scored from the spot.