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| April 27, 2001 |
NFL set for nail-biting finishS Ayyappa Swamy Even Alfred Hitchcock could not have scripted such an exciting and twisting end to any of his films. The suspense is simply, what shall we say, nail-biting, to use a simple and oft-used cliché. And if the grand finale doesn't send the pulse-rate soaring, then nothing will. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, the traditional superpowers of Calcutta -- which have given identity to Indian football -- will be fighting it out not on the maidans but in 'away' matches. While the red and golden brigade are down South crossing swords with State Bank of Travancore on an uneven turf at the Chandrashekharan Nair stadium, the maroon and green outfit will be on a smother surface while taking on Indian Telephone Industries at Bangalore. A summary of the 21st round and prospects of the final round to be held over April 29 and 30. East Bengal: Barring last year, when they finished seventh, have always had top three finishes. Deserve to win the title at least this time. After a loss and two draws, they finally came into their own with a magnificent 3-0 victory over FC Kochin at home. Could find things difficult against SBT, who have done well in home matches, having beaten stronger teams like Mohun Bagan and Salgaocar. But this is a crunch match and East Bengal have to win. The desi SBT team, who were beaten 3-1 at Calcutta, might find things not too easy. Mohun Bagan: Almost handed the trophy to East Bengal in the 21st round. Were made to fight all the way by Vasco in Goa. Showed good fighting spirit and character to keep debutants Vasco at bay. With all the matches starting at the same time, Mohun Bagan will have to play for a victory. A draw or defeat would spell doom for them. And that will not keep their legion of supporters happy at all. With Jose Barretto more or less assured of the top spot in the goal-scorers list, it remains to be seen if the defending champions can pull the rug from under East Bengal's feet. FC Kochin: After remaining unbeten for a record 13 matches from the start, the southern outfit lost their way in the second leg. With rumours of discontent among their foreign players, who almost did not play the 20th round tie against State Bank of Travancore, flying thick, Kochin were always the likely losers of the troika of East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and themselves. After the loss against East Bengal, they have the tought task of beating Churchill Bros in the final round to remain in the third position overall. A draw too will suffice, but Churchill at home (Goa) will not be an easy opponent. Churchill Brothers: Played out a hard-fought come-from-behind draw against statemates Vasco in the 21st round. At 33, are just one point behind FC Kochin. Have the added advantage of playing at home and in front of own supporters. No choice but to go for a win, else will finish fourth. Vasco Sports Club: Could never have even dreamt of finishing in the top five on their debut year. Packed with ordinary players and a committed coach (Derrick Pereira), the Third Force in Goan football have quite surprise one and all. A loss to Air-India in an away tie would mean them finishing even seventh. Nothing to lose and everything to gain attitude could just seem the pip Salgaocar to the fifth spot. Have been masters of drawn matches, with 12 to their credit. Yet, their knack of losing matches could also stand Vasco in good stead. Salgaocar: The former champions have had a roller-coaster ride in this NFL. Some players confessed that coach Marcus Pacheco simply has not brought them luck and also his substitutions too have not worked. Have a tough match against Jagatjit Cotton Textile Mills in Ludhiana. JCT, the champions of the inaugural year, will try hard for a win which could help them retain the spot in the NFL next year. Salgaocar lost 1-2 to a resurgent Mahindra United in the 21st round. Mahindra United: Back-to-back victories over Goan teams Churchill Brothers and Salgaocar have certainly helped the costliest team in Indian football hold on to their NFL berth. At the end of the 19th round, were looking at the other end of the barrel and now could even finish fifth, if things fall into place, which means Vasco losing to Air-India and Salgaocar losing to JCT. With regular coach Shabbir Ali being relieved from his responsibilities, the players, the few who are remaining, have responded magnificently to manager Harish Rao. Meet Tollygunge Aggragami in a home match in the only tie that is being played on Sunday. Tollygunge Aggragami: Master of sob stories Amal Dutta comes back to Bombay, a venue which has never been close to his heart. But some of his players like Emeka Achilefu, Seriki Abdullatheef have had it good at the Cooperage, and it is they who will be doing the hard work on the field against Mahindra. Lost to JCT in their previous tie at Calcutta. Only one point behind Mahindra and can aspire to finish as high as six and as low as 10th. Indian Telephone Industries: Amongst the bottom teams, the only one assured to retain the NFL berth. If they pull a surprise win over Mohun Bagan, will only be helping East Bengal’s cause. Three points from the last match could seem them finish seventh and defeat could peg them to even 10th. Played out an insipid goalless draw against JCT at Bangalore in the 20th round. Jagatjit Cotton Textile Mills: Not lost any of their last seven matches and were defeated once only 10 second leg matches. Take on tough Salgaocar at home after the one point from the Bangalore tie. A loss would mean being relegated, presuming Air-india beat Vasco and East Bengal also get past SBT. Can also finish eighth or ninth too. State Bank of Travancore: Have the onerous task of playing champions-in-waiting East Bengal at home. Are real tigers on their own turf. A loss would certainly mean relegation along with either JCT or Air-India, whom they beat 2-1 in the penultimate round. Air-India: Just came up the hard way throught Division II qualifiers and may have to do again for the 2002 season. A win is a must for them. And even that doesn’t assure them anything. For SBT will have to lose to East Bengal and JCT to Salgaocar too. Are playing at home and that is some advantage.
Best match: Churchill fighting for a 2-2 draw against Vasco at Goa. Disappointment: ITI-JCT in a goalless exercise. Great Escape: Churchill escaping with a draw against Vasco.
Results of the 21st round:
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