CHANDIGARH, Dec 21: Right-striker Shabeer Ismail capped in a brilliant performance to score four goals including a hat-trick for Ansar English School, Perumpilavu and guided his team to a 4-2 victory over St Aloysius, Jabalpur, in the inaugural edition of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) National football tournament being played at DAV School in Sector 8. The win also ensured Perumpilavu lads a semifinal berth.In a fast paced match, both the teams played an attacking game. But it was Jabalpur boys who shot into the lead through Ravindra Swami in the eighth minute. However, on the counter-attack, Perumpilavu's forwards Shabeer and Nishad combined well and ran down the right flank. Sabheer, who got a through pass from Nishad at the top of the `D' sent the ball across the goalkeeper Atul Gabriel to level the score (1-1).The Jabalpur lads made attempts to increase the lead in the later part of the first half but found the rival defence impregnable.After the change of ends, Shabeer got his golden touch and scored two brilliant goals within a span of five minutes, even before the Jabalpur lads could settle down. In the second minute of the second half, his powerful shot went over the goalkeeper Atul Gabriel. Three minutes later he was again on the target and made it 3-0, to score the first hat-trick of the meet.Jabalpur's Sandeep Pillay, who was given marching orders in the 55th minute by the referee, reduced the margin (2-3) in the 10th minute of the second half.Sandeep's team-mate Ashish was also shown yellow card for unsportsman like conduct in the 48th minute.Shabeer got the team's fourth goal in the 50th minute to consolidate the lead (4-2), sealing the fate of Jabalpur team.Jabalpur lads, however, scored a solitary goal win over Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, New Delhi, in their second league engagement of the day, to keep their hopes for the title alive. Vikram Kumar scored the match winner in the 4th minute of the second half.In their crucial tie tomorrow, they play Translam Academy, Meerut. The winners of that game will fill the last semifinal slot.The Meerut lads beat Bharti Vidya Bhawan, New Delhi by one goal to nil, in the league match today.The other two semifinalists are Bokaro Ispat School, Bokaro, and local SD Public School-32. Both the teams played a goalless draw in their match today.St John International School, Chennai also played 1-1 draw with St Xavier School, Jaipur.Sanoj (15th) netted for Chennai while Sajan (17th) pulled one back for Jaipur.
