Goa defence can thwart Kerala attack

Goals win matches, it's often said in football. And this axiom has won Kerala all three matches on their way to the final of the 57th National football championship, for the Santosh Trophy, where they take on Goa, at the pristine Cooperage football ground in Bombay, on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Kerala have scored five, three and five goals in the three matches they played, but have conceded two goals from Assam, one from Orissa and three from Tamil Nadu, in the semi-finals on Thursday. On the other hand, Goa have scored only two goals in regulation time while keeping a clean 'against' slate.

This parody reveals the strengths of both teams. For Kerala, it is their attack, manned by Asif Saheer, S Ignatious and Abdul Hakim. And for Goa, it is their defence, which has international and captain Mahesh Gawali, along with Seby Coelho, Samir Naik and Rajesh Meetei.

Another important aspect is Kerala's utter lack of concentration. Any team scoring five would go in for the kill but not the three-time champions who are in the second consecutive final, having lost to Maharashtra last year at Thrissur. Kerala have simply allowed their rivals to get back into the match. And it happened to them in the semifinal against Tamil Nadu on Thursday. In the final it would be different.

First of all, the Kerala strikers will not find the freedom to make their darting runs and also get goals with ease. The small-made Saheer has scored six times while international Hakim has four goals to his name, three in the semifinals against Tamil Nadu. That is reason enough to worry for Goa coach Armando Colaco. At the same time, Kerala coach Peethambaran would also be wondering if the strike force would come effective against Goa.

"I think we have the best attack in the country but I cannot say the same thing about my defence,'' was the honest confession of Peethambaran.

What's more, Kerala will also miss first-choice left wing-back K Sameer, who earned his second booking of the tournament on Thursday and will have to watch the final from the stands.

The Goan coach has no such worries. But, yes, Colaco is looking for answers to his strikers' problems at the back of his mind. He cannot afford to take another match into the tie-breaker, where luck plays a big hand rather than skill.

"Our midfielders and defenders have performed exceptionally well,'' said Colaco. "But I don't know what is happening to Levy Colaco and Abhay Kumar. They are creating chances but not converting them. This will not work in the final.''

Goa have won the title twice, the last time being in 1989-90. They had the mortification of ending up runners-up four times in-a-row during Bengal's six-time title-winning streak, between 1993-94 and 1998-99. This time, however, they are not ready to play bridesmaid again. They have shown a quiet determination and Colaco, the Dempo coach, has come out tactically fine in the previous three games.

What plans he has to hold the rampaging Saheer and Co. on the morrow will tell.