Mahindras emerge champs as Air-India fail to take off

MUMBAI, OCTOBER 6: Several of the Mahindra United players took quite a lot of beating, literally, before they held defending champions Air...

MUMBAI, OCTOBER 6: Several of the Mahindra United players took quite a lot of beating, literally, before they held defending champions Air-India goalless and emerged champions in the 2000 MDFA Harwood Super Football League at the Cooperage, on Friday.

In a heatedly contested match, Air-India’s Khalid Jamil and Radhakrishna Dube were both given the marching orders after both received two yellow cards each, while PJ Jose and Anthony Fernandes were both booked once each, all for deliberate rough tackles.

The Air-India players, knowing pretty well that they had to play for a victory in order to retain the title, played like ones possessed but were pulled up regularly for deliberate fouls. The Mahindra United team, on the other hand, looked contented and did not stretch much as they only required a draw to dethrone the airmen.

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Goal-scoring chances were very few and far between in the final league game, which was a drab affair. Both the teams muffed a couple of sitters each in the opening stanza during which all the scoring chances came.

Mahindras were the first to come by a golden chance as early as in the third minute. S Venkatesh crossed into the box from the right but Abbas Ali Rizvi’s header, from close, landed into the safe hands of Air-India goalkeeper Mohammed Yousuf Ansari’s waiting hands.

In a somewhat similar move by Mahindras down the left flank in the 20th minute, stopper Bernard, who had overlapped down the left, crossed into the goal area. Rizvi once again was ideally placed to score but his stiff header was confidently plucked by goalkeeper Ansari.

Air-India’s lone attempt at the Mahindra goal came in the 41st minute. Striker Khalid Jamil received the ball at the top of the box after a faulty clearance from stopper Christopher. But Jamil shot in a hurry and the toed ball went wide of the target.

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Earlier in the evening, Central Railway trounced Union Bank 4-1 to finish third in the five-team league. Hamid Ansari, Augusto D’Silva, Asif Jamal and Adil Ansari scored in that order for the railwaymen. Francis Pereira pulled a goal back for the bankmen.