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

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

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

Goa Coach Looking Forward To Sunday’s Match

Goa coach Mariano Dias is delighted with the progress his side has made so far in the Santosh Trophy and is looking forward to their pre-quarterfinal match against Mizoram on Sunday.

Goa started their Santosh Trophy campaign on Monday when they defeated Jharkhand 1-0 in Cluster IV. They then thrashed Orissa 4-0 in the same cluster on Friday to book their place in the pre-quarterfinals.

Speaking to Goal.com, Goa coach Mariano Dias said that he was happy with his side’s performance against Orissa, but warned that they have to maintain that level against Mizoram on Sunday.
Dias said, “We did not start our first match of the Santosh trophy well. But we played very well against Orissa on Friday.
“We now have to play well against Mizoram on Sunday to progress to the quarterfinals. We have some good players in our team, such as Climax Lawrence and Mahesh Gawli. We didn’t have them in our side for the first match as they were playing in the AFC Cup but after they returned for the second match, our performance was very good.”
Dias insists that they are taking the Santosh Trophy very seriously and says that the people in Goa too take this competition seriously. He said, “This tournament is a matter of prestige for the people of Goa. We are taking this tournament very seriously.”

READ MORE - Goa Coach Looking Forward To Sunday’s Match

Santosh Trophy: Sanju Pradhan Rues Missed Chances

Sanju Pradhan spoke to Goal.com on Sikkim’s 0-2 defeat at the hands of Manipur which eliminated the former from the Santosh Trophy.

Sanju Pradhan with Coach Subhash Bhowmick (Mango Peel)

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After surprisingly drawing 2-2 against Utttarakhand in their first game, Sikkim had to beat Manipur on Friday to qualify for the pre-quarters.  

But Sikkim came up short and lost the game by two goals. Midfielder Sanju Pradhan said that it could have been a different scoreline had his teammates taken their chances.  

Speaking to Goal.com he said, “The game could have gone either way. Both teams fought hard and gave their best.  

“We failed to convert our chances while Manipur made the most of theirs, so they won the game.  

“Manipur are a good side but we could have easily beaten them today.”  

He also pointed out that a better preparation before the tournament could have avoided the disappointing draw against Uttarakhand.  

“We didn’t get much time to prepare for the tournament. In the Santosh Trophy if you are not prepared well, you will struggle.  

“That is why we made a few mistakes in the first game which left us much too do in the final game.”  

However he still praised the effort of the players and felt that their young side will gain valuable experience from this tournament.  

“All the players tried their best. We had a very young squad so I am sure we will learn from our mistakes and do well next time,” he concluded.

READ MORE - Santosh Trophy: Sanju Pradhan Rues Missed Chances

Santosh Trophy Round Up: Day 6

Goal.com brings to you a round up of all the matches played on the sixth day of the 63rd Santosh Trophy.

29-May-2009 6:16:29 PM

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Santosh Trophy 2009 : Haryana Vs Gujarat

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Meghalaya 0-3 Maharashtra

Maharashtra went through to the pre-quarterfinals of the Santosh Trophy after defeating Meghalaya 3-0 in Cluster II at Coimbatore. Maharashtra were the better of the two sides in the match but couldn’t score in the first 45 minutes. They did score eventually four minutes after the hour-mark when Paresh Shivalkar scored. Three minutes later Maharashtra doubled their lead when Sampat Kumar Kuttymani hit the Meghalaya net. The 3-0 scoreline was complete two minutes later when Kuttymani scored his brace.

Orissa 0-4 Goa

Goa defeated Orissa 4-0 in Cluster IV to book their place in the pre-quarterfinals of the Santosh trophy. Goa took the lead through Marcus Mascarenhas and stretched their lead in the 33^rd minute when Beevan D’Mello scored. It became 3-0 to Goa a minute before the half-time whistle was blown when Dempo star Climax Lawrence scored. Goa continued to dominate the match in the second half too and made it 4-0 in the 70^th minute when Riston Rodriguez scored.

Sikkim 0-2 Manipur

Manipur defeated Sikkim in Cluster VI at Thiruvallore to book their place in the pre-quarterfinals of the Santosh Trophy. Manipur went ahead as early as the 14^th minute when Khan Tang Paite was fouled inside the Sikkim penalty area. Paite pulled himself up and scored from the resulting penalty. Manipur increased their lead four minutes before half-time when Subhash Singh scored. Manipur didn’t allow Sikkim to make much inroads in the second half and duly won the match 2-0.

Bihar 0-3 Haryana

Haryana defeated Bihar 3-0 in Cluster VII at Chennai to book their place in the pre-quarterfinals of the Santosh Trophy. They scored eight minutes into the match through Surender Kumar. It became 2-0 to Bihar in the 42^nd minute when Pradeep Kumar scored and the 3-0 scoreline was accomplished in the dying minutes of the game when Kumar scored his brace.

READ MORE - Santosh Trophy Round Up: Day 6

Manipur cruise in Santosh trophy

Chennai, May 30 : Manipur defeated Sikkim in Cluster VI at Thiruvallore to book their place in the pre-quarterfinals of the Santosh Trophy.

Manipur went ahead as early as the 14th minute when Khantang Paite was fouled inside the Sikkim penalty area.

Paite pulled himself up and scored from the resulting penalty.

Manipur increased the lead four minutes before half-time when Subhash Singh scored.

The former champions did not allow Sikkim to make much inroads in the second half and duly won the match 2-0 .

Maharashtra also went through to the last 18 stage after defeating Meghalaya 3-0 in a Cluster II match at Coimbatore.

Maharashtra were the better of the two sides in the match but couldn't score in the first 45 minutes.

They did score eventually four minutes after the hour-mark when Paresh Shivalkar scored.

Three minutes later Maharashtra doubled their lead when Sampat Kumar Kuttymani hit the Meghalaya net.

The 3-0 scoreline was complete two minutes later when Kuttymani scored his brace.

Goa trounced Orissa 4-0 in a Cluster IV clash to book their place in the pre-quarterfinals of the 63rd National Football Championship.

Goa took the lead through Marcus Mascarenhas and stretched their lead in the 33rd minute when Beevan D'Mello scored.

It became 3-0 to Goa a minute before the half-time whistle was blown when Dempo star Climax Lawrence scored.

Goa continued to dominate the match in the second half too and made it 4-0 in the 70th minute when Riston Rodriguez scored.

In another match of the day, Haryana defeated Bihar 3-0 in Cluster VII at Chennai to book their place in the pre-quarterfinals of the Santosh Trophy.

They scored eight minutes into the match through Surender Kumar.

It became 2-0 to Bihar in the 42nd minute when Pradeep Kumar scored and the 3-0 scoreline was accomplished in the dying minutes of the game when Kumar scored his brace.

READ MORE - Manipur cruise in Santosh trophy

Manipur beats Sikkim, enters pre-quarterfinals

Karthik Krishnaswamy
— Photo: K. Pichumani

FAST GAME: Subash Singh of Manipur (centre) tries to dribble past the Sikkim players in the Santosh Trophy on Friday. Tiruvallur: Manipur entered the pre-quarterfinals of the Santosh Trophy here on Friday with a 2-0 win in its final Cluster VI match against Sikkim. Manipur will face Railways, winner of Cluster V, in the pre-quarterfinals on Sunday.
In its first game, Manipur had thrashed Uttarakhand 9-0, with its front four enjoying vast amounts of space and time on the ball.
Here, Sikkim’s midfield, instead of sitting deep like Uttarakhand’s, closed down these spaces with industry. Manipur as a result took a while to find any measure of fluency.
Regardless, Manipur took the lead in the 14th minute, through a penalty slotted home by left winger Khanthang Paiti.
Reisangmi Vasum, hat-trick hero against Uttarakhand, won it on the right edge of the box, brought down from behind — needlessly, for he had his back to goal — by Sikkim left winger Bikash Jairu.
Manipur made it 2-0 in the 41st minute through the cruellest of sucker punches. Goalkeeper Lokeshwar Singh, picking up the ball after he had nearly spilled a Jairu free kick into goal, launched it long beyond the Sikkim defence. Timing his run just right, striker Subash Singh reached it an instant before Sikkim keeper Karma Lepcha and poked home adroitly.
The Nirmal impact Sikkim emerged from the break with a re-jigged line-up, with skipper Nirmal Chhetri moved from centre back to centre forward, in an attempt to bomb the Manipur defence with long balls.
The East Bengal defender made an immediate impact, winning headers at will, knocking the ball on for runners from either side.
Twice in a minute, he had efforts denied – a header blocked by centre back Syed Fareed and a low shot saved by Basant Singh, who had replaced a rattled-looking Lokeshwar in goal.
A goal might just have thrown Manipur into disarray, but Sikkim didn’t quite manage to find that incisive final ball or cleanly struck shot.
The result: Manipur 2 (Khanthang Paiti 14’; Subash Singh 41’) bt Sikkim 0.

READ MORE - Manipur beats Sikkim, enters pre-quarterfinals

Railways enters pre-quarterfinals

Tiruvallur: Railways progressed to the pre-quarterfinals of the Santosh Trophy with a 1-0 win over Assam in the final Cluster V match here on Thursday.
Having taken the lead in the first half, Railways soaked up spells of intense pressure from Assam, for whom a draw would have been enough to progress. Before the match began, Assam and Railways had a win each against Delhi, and identical goal difference, with Assam ahead on goals scored.
Both teams played attractive, on-the-carpet football, the only difference being their respective areas of attack. Railways moved the ball more centrally, with its midfielders arranged in a narrow diamond, while Assam’s more orthodox 4-4-2 facilitated greater use of the wings, particularly the skilful F. Wary who buzzed with menace down the left.
Railways took the lead in the 39th minute through a clever bit of play from midfielder Nalandar Chakravarthy, who cut in from the right flank.
He drew two defenders towards his run, and threaded the ball to the now unmarked striker Amrinder Singh, who slotted calmly past goalkeeper Bilfang Narzary with his left foot.
Assam began the second half with palpable urgency, and twice came close to equalising, denied both times by alert Railways defending. First, left-back Suvendu Hui cleared over his own crossbar, facing the danger of scoring an own goal as he chased a low cross from Wary who had twisted and turned past two Railways players to infiltrate the box.
Minutes later, centre-half Suresh Das timed to perfection a last-ditch sliding tackle on Assam striker Durga Boro, bearing down on goal in pursuit of a long ball from Narzary.
In control The Railways midfield took control after that, particularly the deep-lying Rajesh whose astute positioning cut short a number of Assam moves.
In addition, Railways disrupted Assam’s rhythm with time-wasting tactics, exaggerating mild knocks, taking time over substitutions, and generally doing what teams do to protect a slender lead.
The result: Railways 1 (Amrinder Singh 39) bt Assam 0.
Friday’s match: Sikkim v Manipur (Cluster VI), 4 p.m.

READ MORE - Railways enters pre-quarterfinals

Facile win for Mizoram

G. Prasad
— Photo: M. Moorthy

INTENSE ACTION: Taufeeq (right), the scorer for Jammu and Kashmir, trying to keep the ball away from Mohammad Wasim.

TIRUCHI: Mizoram blanked Puducherry 4-0 in a Cluster III league match to get off to a flying start in the National football championship, for the Santosh Trophy, at the St. Joseph’s College ground here on Sunday.
Mizoram went into an attacking mode right from the beginning and could have secured the lead within the first five minutes but for some good saves by the Puducherry custodian Mouttouramane.
Rohminthanga gave finishing touches to a pass from skipper Zaidinmawia Hmar to put Mizoram ahead in the 16th minute. And Je Je Lalpekhwa made it 2-0 a few minutes later.
Puducherry’s best chance of scoring came at the half hour mark but Manikandan’s strike hit the post.
Mizoram repeatedly raided the rival defence in the second session and Lalmuanpuia increased the lead in the 55th minute.
Disappointingly, Puducherry hardly made any attempts to score. Hmar struck from the spot in the last minute to complete the scoreline.
Drawn encounter In another Cluster III match, Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh played out a 1-1 draw. J & K drew first blood when Taufeeq in the 42nd minute.
Madhya Pradesh fought hard in the second half and equalised in the 85th minute through Athoiba Maitai.
The results: Mizoram 4 (Rohminthanga 16, Je Je Lalpekhwa 23, Lalmuanpuia 55, Zaidinmawia Hmar 90) bt Puducherry 0.
J&K 1 (Taufeeq 42) drew with Madhya Pradesh 1 (Athoiba Maitai 85).
Monday’s match: Goa vs. Jharkhand (4 p.m.).

READ MORE - Facile win for Mizoram

Santosh Trophy Round Up: Day 1

The 63rd Santosh Trophy kicked off earlier today. We bring to you a roundup of all the matches played.

Santosh Trophy: Jammu & Kashmir vs. Madhya Pradesh (Mango Peel)


Jammu & Kashmir 1-1 Madhya Pradesh (Cluster III) Venue: St Josheph College
Ground, Tiruchirappalli

The game between Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh was the inaugural match of the tournament. Madhya Pradesh started the game well and looked likely to open the scoring in the first half. But three minutes before the break, against the run of play Taufeeq gave Jammu & Kashmir the lead. That goal gave J & K the confidence to push for the second after halftime but they couldn’t take their chances. MP piled on the pressure in the last fifteen minutes to get the equalizer and their efforts were finally rewarded in the 87th minute when Athoiba Maitai scored to deny Jammu and Kashmir a winning start.

Chattisgarh 0-0 Chandigarh (Cluster I) Venue: Nehru Stadium, Coimbatore
The match between Chattisgarh and Chandigarh ended in a goalless draw. Chattisgarh appeared to be the better of the two sides and has more possession of the ball. But they couldn’t keep most of their shots on target, thereby garnering a single point from this fixture.

Mizoram 4-0 Pondicherry Cluster III) Venue: St Josheph College Ground, Tiruchirappalli
Mizoram dominated the match from start to finish and took the lead as early as the 16th minute through Rohming Thanga. It became 2-0 to Mizoram just seven minutes later when Jeje Laleekhlua scored. It was 2-0 at the break and any dim hopes of a Pondicherry comeback evaporated ten minutes into the second half when Lalmuanpuia made it 3-0 to Mizoram. Mizoram added salt to injury in the 90th minute as Zaidinmawia converted a spot-kick.

Delhi 0-1 Railways (Cluster V) Venue: DBYC/Wisdom Town Stadium, Redhills, Thiruvallore
Railways gained a surprise 1-0 victory over Delhi in this Cluster V fixture. Railways scored the only goal of the match in injury time of the first half through Abhishek. Delhi did exhibit more urgency and attacking prowess in the second period of the match but the Sunil Chettri-led team failed to restore parity.

Tripura 2-0 Himachal Pradesh (Cluster VIII) Venue: J.N. Stadium, Chennai
Tripura and Himachal Pradesh contested a good match in Cluster VIII. The match eventually finished 2-0 to Tripura, with goals from Paltu Dutta Chowdhury and Rupak Majumdar. Chowdhury gave Tripura the lead on the stroke of half-time and Majumdar secured all three points in the 71st minute.

Tamil Nadu 7-0 Rajasthan (Cluster VIII) Venue: J.N. Stadium, Chennai
Tamil Nadu are the hosts of the 63rd edition of the Santosh Trophy and got off to a flying start in their opening game in Cluster VIII as they thumped Rajasthan 7-0 in a hugely entertaining match. The hosts scored as early as the 14th minute through Riju. They increased their advantage 12 minutes later when Pradeep scored. Tamil Nadu virtually wrapped up all three points from this match when they scored their third goal just before half-time through Suresh Kumar.

Nadu started the second period of the match in equally ruthless fashion. They got their fourth of the match in the 54th minute when Suresh Kumar scored his second of the match. Riju scored his brace in the 77th minute and Ravana made it 6-0 five minutes later. Riju completed his hat-trick just two minutes later in the 84th minute to round off an astounding 7-0 victory for the hosts.

via [ sinlung.com]

READ MORE - Santosh Trophy Round Up: Day 1

63rd Santosh Trophy Chattisgarh 0-0 Chandigarh while Mizoram beat Pondicherry by 4-0

The cluster I match between Chattisgarh and Chandigarh of the 63rd National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, played at Coimbatore’s Nehru Staduim ended in a goalless draw as both the teams failed to capitalize on the chances that came their way and had to be contend with a point each on Sunday.

Chattisgarh were better off the two teams as they had better ball possession but they forwards lacked the experience and failed to convert the chances that they had. Most of their shots were either off target or were not powerful enough.

With scorecard reading goalless at the end of the first half the second half was no different as both the teams lacked experience and never had a clear shot at the goal.

in the another match of the 63rd National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, played at the St Joseph College Ground, Tiruchirappalli, Mizoram scored a 4-0 victory over Pondicherry on Sunday.

Mizoram dominated the game right from the start and took the lead in the 16th minute itself. Rohming Thanga gave his team a 1-0- lead and the lead gave Mizoram team the much needed confidence to capitalize on the situation as they had no problems in intruding into the opponents den at their will.

The victors increased the lead in the 23rd minute through Jeje Laleekhlua. Pondicherry was of no match to the Mizoram side as they never got any clear chance and never had any control of the game.

With a 2-0 lead in the first half the start of the second half saw Manipur getting their acts together in the 55th minute and extending the lead to 3-0.

And this time round it was Lalmuanpuia who added his name to the scoring sheet to take the control of the game beyond Pondicherry and help his team pocket three points from their opening encounter.

Mizoram added one more to the tally as Zaidinmawia Hmar scored through a penalty kick in the 90th minute to seal the fate of the game in his teams favour.

READ MORE - 63rd Santosh Trophy Chattisgarh 0-0 Chandigarh while Mizoram beat Pondicherry by 4-0

Santosh Trophy kick-off to-day

The national football championship for the ‘Santosh Trophy’ kicks off on May 24 (Sunday) with matches in the eight clusters to be held in four centres – Tiruchi, Chennai, Tiruvallur and Coimbatore. Each venue will host two clusters.
The league fixtures in cluster III and IV and a pre-quarterfinal encounter between the winners of the two clusters will be held at St. Joseph’s College here.
The cluster III features Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Mizoram and Puducherry, while the other cluster consists of Goa, Orissa and Jharkhand.
Addressing media persons here on Thursday, the Tiruchi District Football Association (TDFA) president A. K. Yussouf said the tournament would be a treat to the local fans with some good sides participating.
He said Ravanan, alumni of St. Joseph’s College, as player (Tamil Nadu), and G. Thambiraj as referee would be the two men representing Tiruchi in the tournament.
“We have plans to honour former footballers from Tiruchi who made a mark in the national arena during the tourney,” Mr. Yussouf added.
Inaugural
Collector T. Soundiah will inaugurate the tournament here in the presence of Tamil Nadu Football Association president S. Cletus Babu and other dignitaries.
The TDFA secretary P. Ukramakali informed that entry is free for the spectators.
May 24: Jammu & Kashmir vs. Madhya Pradesh (7 a.m.), Puducherry vs. Mizoram (4 p.m.); May 25: Goa vs. Jharkhand (4 p.m.); May 26: Puducherry vs. Jammu & Kashmir (7 a.m.), Madhya Pradesh vs. Mizoram (4 p.m.); May 27: Orissa vs. Jharkhand (4 p.m.); May 28: Madhya Pradesh vs. Puducherry (7 a.m.), Jammu & Kashmir vs. Mizoram (4 p.m.); May 29: Orissa vs. Goa (4 p.m.); May 30: Rest day; May 31: Cluster III winner vs. cluster IV winner (4 p.m.).

READ MORE - Santosh Trophy kick-off to-day

66 to train at camp

US firm sponsors meet to groom Assam footballers

Participants during the coaching camp at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati on Monday. Picture by Eastern Projections Guwahati, Feb 24 : The West Virginia-based firm M/s FS Sports has engaged three competent coaches from the US to train Assam footballers during an inaugural camp for the Santosh Trophy senior tournament. The first phase of the camp got under way at the Nehru Stadium here today. Altogether 66 probables have been invited to the camp, conducted by FS Sports coaches Carl Grey, Robert Grey and Glenn Grey. Launching the programme, the president of FS Sports, Francis Saldonha, said the decision to sponsor the coaching programme was part of his initiative to help underprivileged nations in the field of sport. “After launching the sports promotion firm in July last year, I did not have an idea whom to approach and how to help India develop football. I had contacted the All India Football Federation and accordingly, I sponsored the Indian under-16 team in an exposure trip to the US last year. It was then that I met Assam Football Association secretary Ankur Dutta who, in turn, invited me to be involved in the coaching programme,” Saldonha said. The US firm will spend around $20,000 in the programme. “Besides, the coaches deployed here will be spotting talented players for sponsorship. Moreover, we are launching a website to scout talent where players will be able to upload video clips of their athletic skills and we will select potential talents for grooming and sponsorship,” the West Virginia-based physician of Indian origin said. He added that they would not only promote football but also disciplines like athletics, swimming and tennis. The AFA hoped the camp was going to help the state team qualify for the 34th National Games in Jharkhand by finishing among the top eight in the Santosh Trophy tournament in May. Assam was shown the door from the group league stage in the last edition of the Santosh Trophy tournament, thus failing to qualify for the National Games.

READ MORE - 66 to train at camp