17 overaged footballers expelled

Panaji: India’s preparation for the 2010 AFC Under-16 Asian Football Championship qualifiers was dealt a big jolt when as many as 17 footballers from the ongoing coaching-cum-selection camp were asked to leave after medical examination found them overaged.

They are from West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Kerala, Mizoram and Punjab. An MRI examination at a local hospital on Wednesday found the players overaged.

The overaged players are clearly an embarrassment for the All India Football Federation.

READ MORE - 17 overaged footballers expelled

Artificial turf for Manipur football

Imphal, June 24: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has identified Manipur as one of the states where an artificial turf for football will be laid.

The development is part of the scheme launched by FIFA in 2007.

The AIFF has identified 10 states, including Manipur, where the artificial grass turf is to come up.

The other states are West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab, Delhi, Sikkim, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa.

The AIFF has directed the All Manipur Football Association (AMFA) to submit a proposal regarding the turf. The association’s officials and minister for youth affairs and sports Biren Singh met recently to chalk out an action plan.

The Manipur association’s honorary secretary, L. Ranjit Roy, told mediapersons, “We had a lengthy discussion to find a suitable site for the artificial grass turf”.

“We have identified two possible sites for the purpose — one at Rising Athletic Union ground near Lamlong bridge in Imphal East, while the other is at Lamphelpat in Imphal West. As of now, we have focused on the site at Rising Athletic Union. A proposal will be submitted at the AIFF meeting in New Delhi on June 17,” he added.

READ MORE - Artificial turf for Manipur football

Bengal looking to reprise 1999 act

CHENNAI: Bengal had faced Goa at this same venue a decade ago when a star-studded Bengal routed Goa 5-0 to clinch their 29th Santosh Trophy title. Since then, they have not won the Cup.

So in a way, this will be Bengal’s tryst with history and Raghu Nandy’s boys won’t like to miss it when the two sides will clash in the final here on Sunday. "I don’t want to go by the records. Bengal have a great track record in Santosh Trophy but in the last 10 years we failed to maintain it. This is a huge opportunity for us to take the trophy back home. My boys are in great shape and eager to win," Bengal coach Nandy said on Saturday.

Bengal reached the final without losing a single match and their win against Punjab in the quarterfinal league was their best in the championship. They outplayed Services in the semifinal pumping in 2 goals against none over last year’s runners-up.

Gouranga Biswas, who scored two brilliant goals against Services, is Bengal’s new hero. The former Air India medio will hope to deliver his best on the big stage once again. Bengal striker PC Lalampuiya is also in great form and Goa must have plans to stop the Mizo boy.

READ MORE - Bengal looking to reprise 1999 act

Rajnikanth gives strength to the team

Karthik Krishnaswamy Photo: K_Pichumani

Rajinikanth. — CHENNAI: After a storming start to the Santosh Trophy — 30 goals scored and none conceded until the pre-quarterfinals — Tamil Nadu has endured a draining quarterfinal league phase.
After conceding a last-minute equaliser to Bengal after holding on with ten men for almost the entire match and losing 1-0 to Punjab despite creating countless chances, it took a team of considerable mental and physical endurance to beat Manipur by the requisite two-goal margin and enter the semifinals.
“A strong body makes a strong mind, as they often say,” says Sivagnanam Rajinikanth, the team’s fitness trainer, whose contribution to Tamil Nadu’s progress cannot be underestimated.
“This is my seventh Santosh Trophy, and the first time we underwent a proper conditioning camp,” says veteran midfielder Jestes Anthony.
“Earlier, we used to have a week-long physical and skills camp, and then play a practice match or two. Our fitness this time has definitely been a major factor in getting us through tough matches.”
Rajinikanth, a former high jumper and bronze medallist at the 1999 National Games at Manipur, completed fitness coaching programmes with Victoria University, the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association and the Australian Track and Field Coaching Association last year. Thanks to a decade-long acquaintance with Tamil Nadu coach P. Thulasi through common employer ICF, it was natural that the search for a fitness trainer ahead of the Santosh Trophy would zero in on the beefy 29-year-old. The importance Thulasi has placed on fitness can be gauged by the time allotted to physical conditioning during the pre-tournament preparatory camp.
Says Rajinikanth: “The training camp was divided into three stages — the first stage at ICF was devoted entirely to strength and conditioning. Football work began only in the second phase, at St. Joseph’s College.”
Pleasing progress The progress of the players, after a slow start at the camp, has pleased Rajinikanth.
“The I-League players caught on quickly, because they were used to the kind of methods I use,” he says.
“It took the local players a little longer, but once they picked up, there has been massive improvement in their fitness levels. Earlier, the local players had been doing bicep curls, leg-extensions, and a lot of static training. I focus on movements, not muscle; we are not bodybuilders, right?”
Most of my programmes, except weight training, are with the ball, and football-specific — with a lot of focus on elastic strength, and ankle and hip flexibility.”
He adds, “I also use plyometric exercises to help develop elastic strength, and to help players achieve quick, powerful movements. For example, Riju is quite short, but he’s scored a lot of headed goals here because he’s explosive and can out-jump taller defenders.”
In addition, Rajinikanth says that he tries to ensure that training doesn’t become tedious.

READ MORE - Rajnikanth gives strength to the team

2-0 victory for Manipur Police

Veteran football

Imphal, June 3: Manipur Police Veteran Football Association moved into the quarter-final today defeating XI Star Sporting Union by 2-0 goals in the 11th Challenge Cup Veteran Football Tournament played at Mapal Kangjeibung.

With the completion of the league round today, Manipur Police Veteran Football Association collected 13 points, while Nambol Areas Veteran Sporting Association (10 points), Utlou Luksa (10 points) and Football Veteran Welfare Association with seven points made it to the quarter-finals from group A.

From group B, Nagaland Veteran Football Association emerged on top with 11 points followed by North Eastern Veteran Football Association, Chingtam Veteran and Higher Education Veteran Football Association (all with six points). The quarter-finals will begin tomorrow.

Manipur Police veterans took their time today for want of combination in the front but luck shone in the 26th minute with forward Rajen Khanganba scoring the first goal for his team.

The XI Star Veteran Sporting Union, despite making some hard run throughout the game, could not find their target.

In the second half, Manipur Police wasted no time as Khanganba again made a left wing run and executed a brilliant pass to Touthang. After collecting the ball again, he shot home a goal for the 2-0 victory today.

READ MORE - 2-0 victory for Manipur Police

Bengal cautious vs Manipur

Calcutta:PC Lalawmpuiya and Gauranga Biswas will start upfront when Bengal take on Manipur in the group A quarter final league match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.

Having managed only a point against Tamil Nadu, coach Raghu Nandy has decided on a couple of changes for Thursday’s line-up.

While goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury will make way for Abhra Mondal, medio Subho Kumar is almost certain to sit out against an in-form Manipur side.

“Tamil Nadu match is history. I know we played very bad football but thinking about it will hardly help us tomorrow. We were on the verge of losing but came back and managed to save the match,” Nandy said after Wednesday’s practice session.

The 29 times champions Bengal came back one goal down to draw 1-1 against the hosts in their opening group A quarter final league match of the ongoing national football for the Santosh Trophy.

“I have chalked out few changes in the playing XI for tomorrow’s match and hope that will earn us a good result,” an optimistic Nandy added.

Hailing Manipur as an well-organised side, Nandy opined that his boys need to be cautious. “Manipur are a very well organised team. They are fast and compact. We need to be careful and play according to the situation,” the coach stated.

READ MORE - Bengal cautious vs Manipur

Santosh Trophy: Manipur upself holder Punjab in league QF

Chennai : Defending champions Punjab were upset by Manipur 1-2 in their quarter-final Group A league opener of the 63rd National Football championship for the Santosh Trophy at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, here on Tuesday.

Punjab took the lead in the 27th minute when an unmarked Balwant Singh headed in a Boy Singh cross from the left.

But former champions Manipur equalised within two minutes when a free-kick from M Raju was deflected into his own goal by Sarabjit Singh.

The goal seemed to dampen Punjab's spirits who were playing their first match in the tournament. In contrast, Manipur grew from strength to strength and after the change of ends applied more pressure on the Punjab defence.

They were rewarded in the 48th minute when Subhas Singh found the net from close range.

Reisangmi Vashum left Anwar Ali and Ravinder Singh chasing shadows and took a shot towards goal. Karanjit Singh blocked the effort partially but Subhas was close at hand to knock in the rebound.

Manipur, who have played three matches in the qualifying stage of the tournament, looked in better shape and controlled proceedings much better than their opponents.

With West Bengal and Tamil Nadu also in their group, Punjab have a difficult task of progressing from the quarter-final stage.

However, Punjab coach Jagbir Singh was not unduly worried with the defeat since they had also lost their first match in last year's tournament before going on to lift the title.

"We had started off in a similar fashion, losing our first match against Services last year. We are not worried much and we have two more matches to go in the league. Our boys played well in their first match today despite the hot and humid conditions and we should be able to make amends in our coming matches," said Jagbir.

READ MORE - Santosh Trophy: Manipur upself holder Punjab in league QF

Govt panel move remains on paper

GUWAHATI, June 3 : – Though Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi announced after devastating floods last year that a commission headed by former Gauhati University Vice Chancellor Dr NK Choudhury would be formed to suggest measures to deal with floods, the announcement remained on paper only as till date the commission has not yet been formed.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Dr Choudhury said that the Chief Minister had called him following the devastating floods last year to ask whether he would be keen on heading a commission to suggest measures to deal with floods. “I agreed to do so, but the Government is yet to issue the formal notification in this regard,” he added.
Dr Choudhury said that a few officials of the Water Resources Department visited him to take his suggestions on the other persons to be appointed as members of the proposed commission. The Water Resources Department also called him for a meeting but he refused to attend it till the formal notification is issued by the Government.
The former GU VC expressed the view that he was not satisfied with the preparedness of Assam to deal with floods and pointed out that the implementation of the projects should start on time to ensure their completion by April. He said that there must be some flaws in the system to deal with the situation. The officials concerned should start planning during the floods as they come to know about the breaches of the embankments and the plans and estimates should be completed by October so that the works can start by the first part of November and steps must be taken to ensure that the flood management schemes including plugging of the breaches of the embankments are completed by April.
Dr Choudhury expressed the view that there should not be any compromise in dealing with floods and erosion and the problem should be considered as a “life and death question”. He said that every year lakhs of people of Assam are rendered homeless while, the economy of the state, particularly the rural economy is crippled by floods and erosion and the Government must deal with the problem like facing a war. It is a fact that totally preventing floods might not be possible but efforts should be made at least to mitigate the damages, he added. It may be mentioned here that the delay on the part of the Government in releasing funds often delayed the flood management schemes, most of which are not completed before the onset of monsoon.
Commenting on frequent breaches of embankments in different parts of the State, Dr Choudhury pointed out that every engineering structure has a life span and over the years, only the length of the embankments has been increased with construction of new embankments, but necessary maintenance of the embankments is not done. He said that the Government must pump in massive investments to strengthen the existing embankments and to ensure their proper maintenance every year or should examine the feasibility of taking up alternative measures to deal with the problem.

READ MORE - Govt panel move remains on paper

Mizoram meets its match in Punjab

With the youngsters given the opportunity to display their talent in front of the I-League club coaches, it was football skills that mattered, not the age of the players. Nandakumar Marar reports.

Pics: ARVIND TENGSE

The Punjab team with the Dutta Ray Trophy.
The National Under-21 Championship, organised by the All India Football Federation at Fatorda’s Nehru Stadium, gave the youngsters the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of the I-League club coaches from Goa, Mumbai and Kolkata, who were on the lookout for talented players as part of their clubs’ future plans. The coaches of Churchill Brothers, the I-League champion, Sporting Club de Goa, Salgaocar, Mahindra United and Mohammedan Sporting were presen t at the stadium.
The focus of these I-League talent hunters went beyond the age factor — they identified players on the basis of their ball skills, physical attributes and performance under pressure during the knockout stage. Teams such as Punjab and Mizoram, the champion and runner-up respectively, Haryana and Bengal, the losing semifinalists, were closely watched by the I-League club coaches. It was football intelligence that mattered, not the age of the players.
Mizoram, packed with creative players who dazzled with their one-touch passing, was the most sought after team in the tournament. The north-eastern state went down 2-3 to Punjab in the final after taking the lead twice. What let Mizoram down against Punjab’s searing counter-attacks were its weak defence and goalkeeping. “This is the way Mizoram plays football,” said team manager Benjamin Khiangte.
According to the Mizoram coach, H. Lalmuanpuia, because of their short stature, and also the shortage of proper football grounds, the state’s football-loving youngsters have mastered the short-passing game, rolling the ball along the ground.
“We don’t have proper stadium, grounds or a coaching system. Kids play on small grounds and pick up what they see on television. It is mainly the English Premier League; we don’t get to see quality football in the Spanish or Italian leagues,” explained Khiangte.
Mizoram’s Lalrinfela, operating on the left wing, enthralled with his left-footed play and the ability to float the ball into the goalmouth from different angles. Skipper and striker David Lalthansanga, playmaker David Lalrinmuana and striker Christopher Lalthlamuana were the others short-listed by the I-League clubs.

Midfield tussle… Onkar Singh of Punjab (left) and Lalrinfela of Mizoram fight for the ball in the final at the Nehru stadium, Fatorda, Goa.
Tongue-twisting names all, but their command over the language and grammar of football was clear and precise. Savio Madeira, former India midfielder and now a member of the National team’s coaching panel, said: “I got to see one half of a Mizoram match. The players looked technically correct. Now is the time for these youngsters to choose clubs where they will be given enough chances at the senior level. Going for big clubs due to big money will be a mistake because money may be there but without playing competitive football, the talented players won’t develop.”
Madeira lauded Punjab’s triumph. “I did not see any Punjab match in the National U-21, but if they managed to beat Mizoram, they must have played an outstanding game,” he said.
A majority of the Punjab players belonged to the JCT Football Academy. They displayed composure and solidity in the semifinals and final. Unlike Mizoram, which progressed to the climax like a whirlwind before stumbling, Punjab opted for a calculated approach by packing its midfield and banking on just two strikers to score goals on counter-attacks.
“Mizoram may have scored a lot of goals, but we have watched them and know how to tackle them,” Punjab’s coach Kuldip Singh had said before the title clash.
Punjab played remarkably in the final to deliver the knockout punch and lift the Dutta Ray Trophy.
“Five of our players, including the captain and goalkeeper Pawan Kumar belong to the JCT academy,” said Kuldip Singh. “Lalchhuanmawia is a Mizo in our team, he will also join the academy.”
The tall and sturdy Punjab players had the edge over Mizoram in aerial battles. Vijay Kumar and Ajay Singh (two goals) were on target in the final as Punjab put paid to Mizoram’s hopes. Vijay sneaked into the goalmouth to tap home a rebound off the Mizoram goalkeeper. Later, Ajay bulged the roof of the net with a stunning volley on the run. He then capitalised on a goalkeeping fumble to score his second goal of the match.
Haryana’s deep defender Vivek Singh Kalra and goalkeeper Pardeep Kumar were outstanding in the semifinals against Mizoram. They displayed a cool head in tough situations to thwart Mizoram’s flamboyant attackers. Mizoram, however, came through 3-1 with goals from Lalthlamuana, Lalthansanga and Lalrinfela. Roshan Singh netted the only goal for Haryana.
In the other semifinal, Punjab beat Bengal 1-0.

THE RESULTS

FINAL

Punjab 3 (Ajay Singh 2, Vijay Kumar) bt Mizoram 2 (C. Zothansanga, T. Lalhuapzauva).

SEMIFINALS

Punjab 1 (Maninder Singh) bt Bengal 0; Mizoram 3 (Christopher Lalthlamuana, David , Lalrinfela) bt Haryana 1 (Roshan Singh).

* * *

WHAT’S THE PROOF ?

Age is more than just a number in an event like the National Under-21 Championship, organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Birth certificates were treated as age proof for the players’ eligibility in the tournament and no other medical tests were conducted.
According to Savio Messias, the secretary of the Goa Football Association (GFA), the host, 10 players were found over-aged on the first day of the tournament. “I was later told that many of those found over-aged were later allowed to play by the Match Commissioner,” he said, expressing surprise at the development.
Match Commissioner Rakesh Bakshi (Chandigarh) was not available for comment. Messias replied in the negative when asked if the GFA had any directive from the AIFF to send the over-aged players for scientific tests to confirm their age.
The AIFF had resorted to MRI tests in other age-group events like the National Sub-Junior (U-17) Girls tournament (2007-08), staged in Assam, and ossification tests for the Manchester United Premier Cup (U-15) 2009 qualifiers in Gangtok.
According to the official AIFF website, www.the-aiff.com, the federation observer/match commissioner reserves the right to refer any player, who seems to be over-aged, to the medical committee, who will examine the player and if necessary take MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image) for ascertaining the correct age.

READ MORE - Mizoram meets its match in Punjab

AFA rues team failure to qualify

Guwahati, June 3 : The Assam Football Association (AFA) today held attitude and fitness problems of the state’s senior players responsible for their failure to qualify for the 34th National Games for the second consecutive time.

The state team bowed out of the group league in the Santosh Trophy National Football Tournament under way in Tamil Nadu.

The 33rd National Games champions, who were eliminated from the group league stage last year, won the first match against Delhi 2-1 and then lost to Railways by a solitary goal last week.

Qualification for the quarter-finals would have helped Assam book a berth for the Jharkhand Games.

“I admit that our planning after last year’s debacle did not click. The players have also shown a poor attitude towards the apex tournament,” said AFA secretary Ankur Dutta.

“The players’ lack of fitness was also responsible,” added AFA vice-president N.N. Singha.

Dutta added that the AFA would organise an under-16 coaching camp at Nehru Stadium here from June 12 to 26 in association with US firm FS Sports, which will sponsor an English UEFA A Licence holder coach, Eric Winstanley.

“Altogether 30 players have been invited to the camp. Bidhan Das, K.K. Singh, Bikash Baruah and Khagen Saikia will assist Winstanley. Bharti Airtel Ltd will sponsor the kits,” Dutta said.

He added that the hosts for the inter-district football tournaments were decided upon but the dates and venues would be finalised by the respective tournament committees within the next 10 days.

Observers have also been deputed to visit the venues.

The AFA also announced the first list of 157 players’ inter-district transfer clearance for the season 2009-10.

READ MORE - AFA rues team failure to qualify

Manipur outplay Defending Champion Punjab TN, WB draw in group A quarter final matches

Chennai, June 3 : In a keenly contested battle between Punjab and Manipur in the quarter final match of the 63rd National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, Manipur defeated Punjab 2-1 at the Nehru Stadium, Chennai on Tuesday.

Both the teams played an aggressive game right from the start and both the custodians were kept busy under the bar.

It was Manipur who were more dominant and had better control of the game in the first half.

Manipur got many chances early on but their strikers failed to get their acts together.

In the 3rd minute Bishweshor Singh had a shot at the Punjab den but it was an alert Punjab custodian Karanjit Singh who defied Manipur from taking the lead early on.

In the 13th minute Manipur got their second chance as Subhash Singh cross from the right had Joychandra unmarked inside the box but the latter shot over the bar.

In the 21st minute Vashum was left unmarked and he paved his way from right flank to just top of the box but his powerful left footer was saved by Punjab custodian Karanjit Singh.

Three minutes later Subhash Singh header went over the bar.

But it was Punjab who drew the first blood as Balwant Singh was left unmarked inside the box and a cross from right flank was headed well by the striker to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later Manipur scored the equaliser as a left footer from Raju Mangarg deflected off Punjab defender Sarbjeet's foot that left Karanjit Singh diving in vain.

With scores leveled both the teams tried hard to take the lead but failed.

Just before the match entered into the lemon break Subhash Singh made a good move from the right flank, but his chip from outside the box missed narrowly, as the first half ended with the scorecard reading 1-1 .

The start of the second half was no different as Manipur started the second half on an attacking note and within three minutes they took the lead.

Karanjit Singh failed to collect the left footer from Khantang Paite and an alert Subhash Singh tapped the ball in past Karanjit to give his team a 2-1 lead.

Punjab immediately got their acts together and in the 51st minute a cross from Rakesh Masih had PH Boy Singh shooting it well but was off target.

The team from North tried hard to score the equalizer but they were not lucky as their attempts were either blocked by Manipur custodian Basant Singh or were off target.

With a 2-1 lead Manipur played a composed game and became a bit defensive.

In the 78th minute Rohit headed the ball in but Basant Singh was alert enough to punch it to safety to defy Punjab from scoring the equalizer and help his team win the match.

West Bengal bounced back in the last minute as they held Tamil Nadu to a 1-1 draw in the quarterfinal match of the 63rd National football championship for Santosh trophy at, Nehru Stadium on Tuesday.

Tamil Nadu played an aggressive game right from the start and were reduced to 10-men as N Mohanraj pocketed second yellow card in the first twenty minutes of the game.

But despite being reduced to 10-men they played a composed game.

With couple of shots taken at their goal Tamil Nadu pulled up their socks and in the 40th minute they took the lead.

It was gifted goal as Pradeep lofted the ball from inside the box and Bengal custodian Subhashis Roy Choudhury in an attempt to save it came forward but was left stranded and Riju tapped in the ball to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later Bengal had a chance to score the equalizer but Gouranga Biswas failed to get the ball past Satish Kumar and the match entered into the lemon break with Tamil Nadu leading by a solitary goal.

The second half was no different as Tamil Nadu had the better ball possession and were better composed.

Bengal outfit tried hard to score the equalizer but their strikers were not effective enough and their flanks hardly created any chances.

In the 73rd minute Gouranga Biswas had another chance but Satish Kumar punched the striker's header to safety to deny Bengal from scoring.

Bengal were awarded for their hardwork as Lalanpuia headed the ball in the injury time to defy Tamil Nadu from pocketing three points.

READ MORE - Manipur outplay Defending Champion Punjab TN, WB draw in group A quarter final matches

Manipur win QF opener

Chennai, June 3 : Manipur came back from 1-0 down to defeat reigning Santosh Trophy champions Punjab 2-1 in Group A match of the quarterfinal league round of the competition on Tuesday.

There was a fierce start to the match as both sides pressed on the attacking button.

But it was Manipur who appeared to have the cutting edge as Khanthang Paite tested the Punjab goalkeeper in the sixth minute but his shot went just past the frame of the Punjab goal.

Four minutes later Subhash Singh came close for Manipur but was flagged offside.

Manipur continued to press themselves upon Punjab as Joychandra Singh's shot from just outside the Punjab six-yard box went over the crossbar.

That was in the 14th minute.

Two minutes later, though, Balwant Singh came close to gifting Punjab a shock lead when he took a shot but it was off target.

The Manipuris weren't quietened down by Punjab at all by that and Subhash Singh again went close when he took a lovely left-footed shot from outside the Punjab penalty area from the left side but it went just wide off the near post.

This chance for Manipur came in the 23rd minute.

Two minutes later Subhash had another chance, this time with his head, but his header went way over the crossbar.

But it was Punjab who took the lead much against the run of play when Balwant Singh headed home from a long ball from the midfield.

The Manipur defenders thought that Singh was in an offside position and so didn't chase him but replays showed that the assistant referee was right not to have raised the offside flag.

But Manipur were not to buckle down by going 1-0 down.

Paite had a chance from a free-kick as he curled the ball with his left foot but Punjab goalkeeper Karanjit Singh was up to the mark and fisted the ball over his crossbar for a corner.

Two minutes later on the half-hour mark Manipur restored parity.

The Manipuris took a corner which was apparently cleared away from danger by the Punjab defenders only for the ball to fall at the feet of Raju way outside the Punjab penalty area.

Raju took a long range attempt which was deflected into his own net by Sarbjit Singh.

It became 1-1 at that point.

Manipur appeared to be the better of the two sides for the rest of the first half and went ahead three minutes into the restart.

Paite ran with the ball from the midfield and took a left footed shot from outside the Punjab penalty area which custodian Karanjit Singh couldn't hold onto and Subhash Singh slotted the ball home from close range to give Manipur a 2-1 lead.

The next few minutes saw both sides go for the kill but neither managed to open their opponent's defence.

Punjab defender Rakesh Masih came close in the 55th minute but his shot went way over the Manipur crossbar.

The match then slightly dipped in momentum with Manipur playing more passing football and retaining possession.

They could have increased their advantage in the 69th minute when Joychandra Singh crossed in the ball from the left to an unmarked Reisangmi Vashum inside the Punjab penalty area.

But Vashum failed to keep his shot on target.

Both Punjab and Manipur had their chances after that and either side could have scored.

Manipur looked the more technical side and played some lovely one touch football and should have scored at least once from the number of chances they created.

But Manipur held on for a deserved 2-1 victory that takes them one step towards the semi-finals.

Later, rusty Bengal were lucky to escape with a 1-1 draw against 10-man Tamil Nadu in the other Group A quarter-final league match.

Twenty-nine times champions Bengal needed a goal deep into stoppage time to grab a point after PC Riju gave the hosts the lead in the 40th minute.

Bengal goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury bungled while collecting a long throw-in from Pradeep Kumar and Riju, who was near at hand, put the ball into the net.

Bengal equalised in the third minute of second-half added on time.

Tamil Nadu goalkeeper Satish Kumar deflected Habibur Rehman Mondal's volley from a Snehasish Chakraborty's corner on to the path of PC Lalwmpuiya, who headed it home to earn Bengal a point.

READ MORE - Manipur win QF opener

Maharashtra, Manipur, Goa, hosts TN enter quarter final

Chennai, Jun 3 : The Pre-Quarterfinal knockout Round of the 63rd Santosh Trophy gave no surprise as hosts Tamil Nadu, Goa, Maharashtra and Manipur sealed their place in QuarterFinal League.

In a keenly contested battle of the pre quarter final match 3 between Railways and Manipur of the 63rd National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, played at Thiruvallore on Sunday, Manipur played an attacking game right from the start and went on to win the match 4-1 to enter into the quarter final round.

The victors never allowed their opponents to take a control of the game and drew the first blood in the 19th minute as Subhash Singh was left unmarked in the left flank and his powerful shot left Railway custodian Ehtesham Ahmed diving in vain.

As the match progressed Manipur started having better bail control and kept on attacking at the rival den.

In the 40th minute Riesangi Vashum was in action as thebal rebounded off Railways custodian Ehtesham as he tried to save a shot from Subhash Singh.

Vashum utilised the situation well and tapped it in to give his team a 2-0 lead.

With a 2-0 lead as the match entered into the lemon break, Manipur could sniff the victory.

And as expected in the 79th minute they extended the lead as Vashum headed the ball in to give his a team a 3-0 lead.

Railways bounced back immediately as in the 80th minute they were awarded a penalty and Nalanda Chakravarthy utilized the opportunity to reduce the lead to 3-1 but it was too late for them as Manipur won the match comfortably.

Goa scored a convincing 3-0 victory over Mizoram in their Pre quarter final match two at Tiruchirappalli, Chennai to enter into the quarterfinal round on Sunday.

Goa started the game on a positive note and played an aggressive game.

The victors could have taken the lead in the 15th minute but Fredy Mascarenhas missed the penalty.

As a result of the missed penalty Fredy was replaced by Jaquim Abranches and the substitution worked well for the Goan outfit.

In the 43rd minute Abranches displayed some superb football skills as he got the ball past Mizoram custodian to give his team a 1-0 lead with match entering into the lemon break.

Goa completely dominated the match and never allowed Mizoram to have a shot at their goal.

Though Mizoram got couple of chances early on but their strikers failed to convert them.

The start of the second half was no different as Goa extended the lead in the 58th minute through Marcus Mascarenhas.

Marcus had a solo run and Mizoram defenders never posed a threat to his challenge as he got the ball past Mizoram custodian to make it 2-0 for Goa.

Five minutes later Marcus was back in action as he scored his brace for the evening to seal the fate of the game in his teams favour and help Goa enter into quarter finals.

Goa will now play Karnataka in the quarter final match on 3rd June at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Kerala's run in the in the Championship came to an end on Sunday as they lost to a solitary goal to Maharashtra in their Pre quarter final match 1 at Coimbatore.

Maharashtra with this victory has now advanced to the quarter final stages.

The lone goal of the match was scored in the 83rd minute by Sampath Kumar Kuttimani.

Both the teams played a defensive game in the first half and the game was played mainly in the mid field area and as a result there were hardly any shots taken at the goal.

Both the custodian had hardly any work to do under the bar and were having an off day till the 83rd minute before Maharashtra took lead and sealed the fate of the game in his teams favour.

With first half ending without a goal being scored the start of the second half was no different and both the teams had equal possession and domination of the game.

Maharashtra like their previous encounter slowly pulled up their socks just after an hour mark and started attacking at the Kerala goal.

In the 83rd minute Kuttimani got the only chance of the match which he capitalized well to give his team a 1-0 lead.

The Kerala defenders were involved in a confusion and utilizing the opportunity well was Kuttimani who headed the ball in after he received a cross from inside the box to dash the hopes of Kerala outfit to make it to the quarter finals.

Kulothungan scored the opening goal as Muthu and Riju scored a brace each as Tamil Nadu defeated Haryana 5-0 in their Pre quarter final match four at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai to enter into the quarterfinal round on Sunday.

Tamil Nadu carried on their attacking style of game as Kulothungan was left unmarked inside the box and his shot found back of the net to give his team a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute.

With a 1-0 lead there was no looking back for the hosts as they kept on attacking at the opponents den.

Just before the lemon break Muthu showed his skills as he dribbled past two defenders to get the ball past Haryana custodian to give his team 2-0 lead.

With a 2-0 lead in the first half the script in the second half was no different as Haryana failed to get their acts together.

They never had any control of the game as Tamil Nadu dominated the second half as well.

With three minutes into the second half Rjiu added his name to the scoring sheet to extend the lead to 3-0.As the match progressed Haryana tried hard but their strikers failed to convert the chances that came their way.

In the 78th minute Muthu scored his second goal of the evening and three minutes later Riju scored his brace to take the lead to 5-0 to help Tamil Nadu win the match comfortably 5-0 and enter into the quarter finals.

Quarter Final League Round
Group A: Punjab ,West Bengal , Manipur (Winner PQF 3), Tamil Nadu (Winner PQF 4)
Group B: Services ,Karnataka , Maharashtra (Winner PQF 1), Goa (Winner PQF 2)
Quarter Final League Round :Venue :Chennai (JN Stadium)
02.06.09 � Punjab Vs Manipur - Group A
02.06.09 � West Bengal Vs Tamil Nadu - Group A
03.06.09 � Services Vs Maharashtra - Group B
03.06.09 � Karnataka Vs Goa - Group B
04.06.09 � Manipur Vs West Bengal- Group A
04.06.09 � Tamil Nadu Vs Punjab - Group A
05.06.09 � Maharashtra Vs Karnataka - Group B
05.06.09 � Goa Vs Services- Group B
06.06.09 � Manipur Vs Tamil Nadu - Group A
06.06.09 � Punjab Vs West Bengal- Group A
07.06.09 � Maharashtra Vs Goa - Group B
07.06.09 � Karnataka Vs Services- Group B
The winners and runners up team from both groups will qualify for the semi finals.

READ MORE - Maharashtra, Manipur, Goa, hosts TN enter quarter final

Can a rampant TN go all the way?

S.R. Suryanarayan

Quarterfinals throw up challenging matches

— Photo: K. Pichumani

KEY MAN: Tamil Nadu’s Kulothungan (right) has been in the thick of things. CHENNAI: The 63rd edition of the National football championship for the Santosh Trophy is now about the fortunes of eight teams, all former champions barring host Tamil Nadu, which still remains an aspirant, having reached the title-round once, way back in the 1972-73.
Tamil Nadu thus is the odd one out but ironically, among the four teams that came up the rungs, the best one on view till date. Goals have been aplenty from this team, a reward for the concerted efforts and the man who made all this happen is K. Kulothungan, soon to don the Mohun Bagan colours.
Tremendous skill His ball skills and ability to control the midfield have been exceptional. Twice in the matches thus far Kulo showed his brilliant ability to fire headers with the accuracy of a sharp shooter.
Equally admirable has been the way he distributed passes that at once decimated the rival defence even as it prompted the forward line for the ‘kill.’ As Muthu and Riju would vouch they owe much to their skipper for the goals that came their way. Riju in fact leads the scorers table as on date.
Be it in the midfield (where Justus Antony is an able foil) and in defence, filled with I-league players Ravanan, Kali Allaudin, Premkumar and Pradeep, the host has options.
Can this alone ensure adequate insurance in a group which has reigning champion Punjab and 29 times champion Bengal, not to forget the emerging force from North East, Manipur?
Tough group This is a group of imponderables. Consider Manipur, a technically sound squad, a team that counter attacks with panache. The players’ coordination and slick movements make them tricky customers.
In all, Manipur has ten I-League players. Players to watch are right-back Raju Mangang, skipper and central-midfielder Chitrasen Singh, wingers Khenthang Paite and Reisangmi Vasum who all play for Churchill Brothers, centre-back Samananda Singh, midfielder Bisheshwor Singh and striker Joychandra Singh (all Sporting Clube de Goa).
Vasum has already slotted in five goals while another striker Singam Subash Singh, Air India’s top scorer last season has scored four goals, more importantly scored in every match.
Both Punjab and Bengal have come in search of landmarks. Coach Jagir Singh is confident of a good show by Punjab which has a majority of JCT players. A victory here will make it a hat-trick of titles for Punjab besides giving it an overall nine wins.
Jagir specifically mentioned Anwar (captain), Rakesh Masih and Baldeep Singh as the ones to watch. “All teams play to win and we are no different. Lets see what happens,” he said.
Bengal’s last success was here a decade ago. “That must be corrected. We have a strong side and we should do well. But first we have to watch out for Tamil Nadu,” said Raghu Nandy, the Coach while captain Habibur Rehman Mondal, believes it is “the best side in the last four years.”
Experience Services and Goa spearhead the other group, Karnataka and Maharashtra being the other two. Goa’s strength lay in its experienced I-league players.
Players like Mahesh Gawli and Climax Lawrence, both India players have added strength. Goa has moved into this phase without conceding a single goal.
As for Services, the side represents virtually the same bunch which helped the team reach the title round last year after a gap of four decades.
The focus will again be on Raleng, the top scorer at Srinagar. For sheer resilience and ability to play to the situation, former champion Maharashtra has displayed enough already in its key win over Kerala.
Forwards skipper Steven Dias, Paresh Shivalkar, Alex T. Ambrose and the ever-reliable Kuttymani Sampath Kumar, can be an awesome foursome upfront. Coach Arshad Hussain is a firm believer that “the boys can do it on their own.”
Three years ago Maharashtra missed the title, courtesy Goa. There is an opportunity to make amends. Karnataka also has a mix of experienced players and youngsters. There is much focus on 20-year old Sathish, an under-19 India player. Else it is a side with a predominance of HAL players.
The Groups: A: Punjab, Bengal, Manipur and Tamil Nadu; B: Services, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.
Quarterfinal schedule: June 2: Punjab v Manipur (G ‘A’) 4 p.m., West Bengal v Tamil Nadu (G ‘A’) 6.30 p.m.; June 3: Services v Maharashtra (G ‘B’) 4 p.m., Karnataka v Goa (G ‘B’) 6.30 p.m.; June 4: Manipur v West Bengal (G ‘A’) 4 p.m., Tamil Nadu v Punjab (G ‘A’) 6.30 p.m.; June 5: Maharashtra v Karnataka (G ‘B’) 4 p.m., Goa v Services (G ‘B’) 6.30 p.m.; June 6: Manipur v Tamil Nadu (G ‘A’) 4 p.m., Punjab v West Bengal (G ‘A’) 6.30 p.m.; June 7: Maharashtra v Goa (G ’B’) 4 p.m., Karnataka v Services (G ‘B’), 6.30 p.m.
(With inputs from Rayan Rozario (Coimbatore), G. Prasad (Tiruchi) and Karthik Krishnaswamy (Tiruvallur).

READ MORE - Can a rampant TN go all the way?

Manipur advances

Tiruvallur: Manipur progressed to the quarterfinal league of the Santosh Trophy with a domineering 3-1 win over Railways in the pre-quarterfinal here on Sunday.
Railways began the match with poise, and before left-sided midfielder Sathish hobbled off in the 15th minute with a hamstring injury, came close twice — Sathish shot narrowly over from distance, and Manipur keeper Basant Singh closed down alertly to deny striker Amrinder Singh.
At the other end, Manipur’s front four, nimble on the ball and mobile off it, was beginning to make the Railways defence look ponderous.
Striker Subash Singh broke clear of the defence only to be denied by a superlative sliding challenge from right back Subir Maji. It didn’t take long for Subash to get another chance, and he found the net in the 19th minute with a sweetly-struck left-footer after bursting unchecked into the box.
Railways coach V. Sounderarajan replied by moving midfielder Rajesh up-front — a change that necessitated Subir Maji moving into midfield, and Amrinder having to fill the vacated right-back slot.
With Subir lacking the calm distribution of Rajesh, Railways found itself ceding possession repeatedly, and ended up with playmaker Mehtab Hussain dropping deeper and deeper to try and win the ball, creating a massive chasm between midfield and attack.
Manipur doubled its lead in the 40th minute through Reisangmi Vasum, who stretched athletically and stabbed home with the outside of his boot after a powerful Subash shot rebounded into the six-yard box off keeper Ehtesham Ahmed’s palms. The winger scored his second in the 79th minute, nodding into an empty net after a shot from striker Joychandra Singh bounced down and back into play off the crossbar.
Two minutes later, Nalandar Chakravarthy pulled back a consolation goal for Railways with a penalty, after Basant brought down Vimal Pariyar as the striker chased down a through-ball from Rajesh.
The result: Manipur 3 (Subash Singh (19); Reisangmi Vasum (40, 79) bt Railways 1 (Nalandar Chakravarthy 81).

READ MORE - Manipur advances