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| April 10, 2001 |
Tollygunge stay clear of relegation zoneS Ayyappa Swamy Tollygunge Aggragami played two matches in four days and did not lose. Doff your hat to Amal Dutta and his indomitable boys. First they pulled off an absolute stunner against East Bengal, a 1-0 win, and then rose from the ashes like the Phoenix to hold Indian Telephone Industries, Bangalore, to a 2-2 draw. Significantly, both matches were played in Calcutta, though the one against East Bengal was an 'away' one for Aggragami. In the match against East Bengal, coach Dutta did not come to the ground. Apparently a hackneyed plot was drummed up in his mind, and fearing an attack by rival supporters, the maverick Dutta stayed away. It was also one of the matches when no spectators were allowed, as the Calcutta police had no men to provide for bandobast duty at the Salt Lake stadium. Left with no option, local organizers -- the Indian Football Association -- took the most difficult decision to play the match in front of empty galleries. As a result, East Bengal, who are so used to playing in front of adoring fans, were clueless as they let slip a goal by Emeka Achilefu. What makes Dutta and Tollygunge tick would be the million dollar question of this fifth edition of the National Football League. He is the most disliked man, and every coach has a special word of criticism for him. Yet Tollygunge are not only assured of a spot in the next NFL but also could finish amongst the top five in this edition. They are on 21 points from 18 matches. While the shock victory would have brought delight to a spectrum of Tollygunge fans, it would have delighted the humongous Mohun Bagan supporters. What was a six point lead for East Bengal has now whittled down to just three after the Maroon and Green brigade battled to a brilliant 4-2 victory over FC Kochin at Calcutta, in what must surely be the better matches of this NFL. Both sides made the best of chances that came their way and, finally, one man made all the difference -- Jose Ramirez Barretto. The All India Football Federation could well inscribe his name on the best players' trophy (presuming there is one) for this NFL. He struck three goals, though not in succession, and then set up another for Sumit Sengupta. Surely, nobody can now overtake him as the highest scorer. Barretto's tally stands now at 12, with RC Prakash, who is now in the Indian team for the pre-World Cup ties and unlikely to play again in the NFL, at 10. Igor Shkvrin of Churchill Brothers and Sunday Seah of FC Kochin are on eight. Now all is set for the Derby clash on Tuesday when the two Calcutta giants clash again in what is a 'home' match for Mohun Bagan. The two clashed earlier on February 7, when East Bengal won to change their fortunes for the better. Now Mohun Bagan must be hoping it will be their turn. After stunning East Bengal, Tollygunge, this time with Dutta on the bench, pulled the stops on Indian Telephone Industries' early celebrations by salvaging a draw after trailing 0-2. The Bangalore side were leading by goals from Kenneth Ugwo and George Ekeh but Nigerians Abdullatheef Seriki and Saliu Abdulwasu snatched a point for the Calcutta outfit. Another side to show some character was Goan champions Churchill Bros, who scored a come-from-behind win over statemates and former NFL champions Salgaocar. Dennis Cabral got the opening goal following a pass from the now-recovered-from injury Bruno Coutinho. But Churchill, one of the few teams to use the 'in lien' new rule, came back with goals from Igor Shkvrin and Osumanu Husseini. Churchill have taken Central Railway goalkeeper Raghuveer Khanolkar on loan after the new ruling by the All India Football Federation earlier this year. Salgaocar are also eyeing Central striker Adel Ansari, but it is not sure if they have got his release. In seven second-leg matches, Mahindra United have manged to hit a new low. They have got just five points from one win and two draws, having lost the other four. The last defeat came at the hands of their citymates Air-India, who kept their heads above water with the three points they got from the Shabbir Ali Mondal goal. Presuming there is relegation this year (rumours say there won't be and there would be 18 teams next year) Air-India will have to do a lot in their remaining matches to retain their place. So would Mahindra United. Jagatjit Cotton Textile Mills, Phagwara, continued their recent good run, which has seen them lose only one of their last seven matches, when they got three points from a win over State Bank of Travancore in Ludhiana.
Best goal: George Ekeh's solo effort for Indian Telephone Industries against
Tollygunge Aggragami.
Results of the 18th round:
Mohun Bagan beat FC Kochin 4-2 drew, at Calcutta
Coming matches:
April 10: Mohun Bagan vs East
Bengal, at Calcutta.
Related reports:
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