Players take the day off in I-League

When India’s top two clubs play each other, the encounter is expected to be exciting.

When India’s top two clubs play each other, the encounter is expected to be exciting. But, on Sunday, when JCT took on Dempo in the sixth round I-League match at the Ambedkar Stadium, the script was different. It was a painful 90 minutes one had to endure as the game passed off without a single move and, expectedly, the scoreboard reading 0-0. This goalless encounter saw Dempo (14 points) go top of the table with a two-point lead over JCT (12).

It seemed both teams played as if they were content with a draw, putting the handful of spectators to sleep. JCT striker Eduardo, the second highest scorer after five rounds, was not at all impressive on the day. It was not just Eduardo alone who failed to impress but the rest of the stars from the two clubs. As a result, the custodians of both the teams had little work under the bar.

And the dejection, particularly with the absence of local lad Sunil Chhetri, was clearly visible on coach Sukhwinder Singh’s face as he kept on shouting at Edu at regular intervals. After the match Sukhwinder admitted: “Edu performed below par. We missed Sunil today and if Edu had performed well then things would have certainly been different.”

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The first half saw JCT dominating without much headway. The wingers seemed to have taken off on the day as they were totally off colour on Sunday and they never supported their strikers.

With three upfront, Edu couldn’t find support in his co-strikers Praveen Kumar and Baljit Singh Sahni. Even when Edu made some efforts, they failed to capitalise on the chances. The Punjab outfit made short passes but lacked the accuracy.

Dempo, whose strength has been their wingers, really felt the absence of Clifford Miranda and striker Chidi Edeh. Ranty Martins never got a chance to show his skills and wingers Anthony Pereira and Borges Nicolau were not supportive enough.

However, Dempo got a chance in the 78th minute when Beto crossed the ball to Joaquim Abranches but he hit the ball straight into the hands of custodian Karanjit Singh.