Maharashtra, Goa win

S Ayyappa Swamy

Maharashtra came very close to what Brazil must be going through now as the South Americans struggle to qualify for next year's World Cup finals. The hosts, defending champions, went through a gamut of emotions before emerging 3-1 winners over unheraled Services in a Group C quarter-final league match in the National football championship, for the Santosh Trophy, at the Cooperage, in Bombay, on Thursday.

In the second match of the day, in Group D, between former champions Goa and Manipur, the team from the north-east held on well after conceding an early goal but were unable to pierce the well-organised Goan defence. The end result: a 1-0 win for the Goans.

The feature match of the day was the first one, played under the scorching sun. Players were often stretchered off, and most used those extra moments to regain their breath. One player who did not return to the field was Maharashtra's Mohammad Najeeb, who was rushed to hospital after a head-on clash with Amit Aich in the first session.

Maharashtra seemed too confident about their prowess and certainly took their opponents lightly. Captain Khalid Jamil and would-be star Tomba Singh went through the motions in a most casual manner. The defence with M Suresh and Naushad Moosa, both stopper-backs, was lethargic, which quite sums up the overall approach of the Maharashtra team, which had seven players from Mahindra United and four from Air-India in the first 11.

In the first half, when Services took the lead through a fine effort from Saroj Gurung in the 41st minute, Maharashtra simply did not get more than three touches on the ball. Every third pass was intercepted by the Services midfield, which also set excellent offside traps. Strikers Najeeb, before being taken off, Narender Meetei and Khalid Jamil walked into them often uninvited.

The Maharashtra bench was silenced when Gurung latched on to a brilliant through from V K Mishra and sent the ball under goalkeeper Virender Singh.

Services had two other chances to score in the first half, and, this after hoodwinking the Maharashtra defence. But headers by Irudaya Raj went straight into Virender's hands, and Preetam Bahadur nodded wide. Maharashtra were indeed lucky.

That it simply was not Services's day was certain when Semingthang, on getting a cross from Mishra, delayed and backpassed for Gurung, who only shot wide.

The complexion of the match changed with the introduction of international Jules Alberto, who came in for Cryspin Chettri. The latter found his way in following Najeeb's injury. Alberto worked up a good tandem with his India and Mahindra United mate Jamil. And Services, who nary made a mistake in the first stanza, especially with the off-sides, simply fell apart to the combined brilliance of Jules and Jamil.

Meetei met a Khalid Siddiqui cross from the left in the 74th for the equaliser and three minutes later got his head on a rebound following a corner-kick. Then substitute Nitin Shetty banged home in style, following a good build-up by Jamil and Jules, to complete the tally.

Goa played in gorgeously yellow colours. And that was the only bright spot of the evening as Levy Coelho struck in the 10th minute. The two-time champions went through the motions of increasing the tally, but brilliant 'keeping by the dimunitive Noren Singh, who is good in short jumps, kept the damage to the minimal.

PHOTOGRAPHS: Jewella C Miranda

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