Date:14/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/14/stories/2008121460772000.htm

Sport - Football

AGORC rallies to hold MSU

CHENNAI: Former champion AGORC came back from the brink to earn a 2-2 draw against a new-look Madras Sporting Union (MSU) in a rousing contest of the St. Joseph’s-CFA senior division football league at the Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.

With eight to nine players from Mizoram apart from one Nigerian, MSU looked like a team from the north-Eastern State.

True to the character of the game there, the young men from Mizoram gave a new dimension to the contest with their fast and constructive football. So nippy were they that in the very second minute, AG’s citadel fell when Venlalhmangaiha shot on the run to beat goalkeeper Dhanasekaran hands down.

With AGORC unable to match strides, the play was in the hands of MSU as the Mizoram trio of Venlal, David, and Zothansanga played havoc.

In the 20th minute the diminutive David made the most of a defensive lapse with a splendid left-footer that bulged the net.

Inspired by Justus Antony, who was unmindful of a forehead injury, AGORC fought back to get two goals in the closing stages to bring off a sensational finish. Selvakumar scored first in the 71st minute off Justus and deservedly the latter knocked in the other in the injury time.

Earlier in the first division, City Police and Rangoon FC played out a 1-1 draw. Sathyamurthy scored for Police and Raja Prasath for Rangoon. — Special Correspondent