Rime stands tall for Mahindras

After their fifth game apiece, Air-India have 11 points, Mahindras seven.The great disappointment for the airmen must be their main strikers — Anthony Fernandes and Godfrey Pereira. Fernandes, sadly continuing with poor form, failed with a sitter at the fag end while supremo Godfrey showed a strange reluctance to attack, especially in the second-half.

To compound a miserable day, Godfrey collected his second yellow card for obstructing Khalid Jamil and will sit out the next match.

Air-India, without inujured Nitin Shetty who has been shaping well, brought in Abbas Ali Rizvi among the starters. The skillful striker got down to business at the outset itself.

So did Rime, denying Khenthang Paite’s header after Rizvi crossed. An acrobatic effort, lunging to the left that whetted the appetite of a reasonable turnout. There was no rest for Rime as Moras tested him moments later and the little keeper was provided further anxiety as Radakrishnan Dube’s attempt from inside the area went wide.

It was a harbinger of things to come as Mahindras showed little interest in attack and with the wind against them, preferred to defend in numbers.

Godfrey struck the bar with a seemingly languid attempt from 25 yards, then laid well for a wasteful Fernandes midway through the half. But the National League’s best player seemed to slip back and into oblivion after that.

A relatively clean match, considering the intense rivalry, did not prevent three yellow cards being shown by referee Bosco Pereira but one felt that Air-India’s Rizvi should have received a little more protection.

Although Mahindras’ Purushottam earned Bosco’s wrath, the dimunitive Rizvi saw Khalid Jamil get away with an indiscrete tackle in the first half. Jamil, though, was not so lucky in the second half — Taposh Ghosh somewhat pacified after the tall wing-back earned a yellow.

Mahindras’ rare forays had Herbert Philip shooting weakly for Shyam Sawant to stretch out to collect and with minutes to go for the interval, Abhay Kumar’s lost control after cutting past two defenders.

Rest and respite for Rime, but not for long. Stepping onto the pitch after the breather saw the custodian the busiest man on the pitch as he denied a floundering Fernandes from close, then Khambiton’s 25-yarder on the hour.The thought that Air-India could possibly be punished gained credence as Mahindras attempted the rare counter-attack but Khalid Siddique was a trifle slow while attempting to finish a sprightly burst by Ramesh Razak on the left.

Then substitute Santosh Kashyap’s corner went tantalisingly close and Air-India at that stage might have been happy to hear the final whistle.The complexion changed in the final anxious minutes as Moras saved the airmen with a timely clearance from Razak’s centre but it was back to the familiar pattern with four minutes to go.

Fernandes could have brought the smiles back onto Air-India’s faces but his incredible miss with a header after Khambiton’s floater into the area must induce the talented striker into some soul searching.

Air-India’s last chance came in the final minute after Mahindras’ defender Rehamatullah hesitated before conceding a corner.