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Yusuf scores winner

By Our Special Correspondent

Churchill Brothers' Yakabu Yusuf races past Indian Bank's Antony Noel to score the match-winner in the NFL at the Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.

Chennai Dec. 6. Yakabu Yusuf's opportunism, latching on to a faulty clearance by Indian Bank's defender Villy, and slamming home the match-winner after cutting through the right, helped Churchill Brothers to a 1-0 win in the National first division league encounter 1-0 at the Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.

With the 71st minute strike the Goan outfit now has four points from two matches, having drawn the first game against Tollygunge Agragami. The defeat marked the second successive setback for the Indian Bank that had earlier gone down to JCT Mills, Phagwara.

Churchill Brothers was a deserving winner too, threatening the goal often, and having more of the possession, although the match itself never rose to great heights.

Without star striker Kusum Jayasuriya, Indian Bank's strategy was simple - depend on defence against a stronger rival and rely on counters. However, the Indian Bank raids lacked both speed and precision to really stretch Churchill Brothers.

The Goan side, which was technically superior and provided glimpses of one-touch football, was guilty of wasting several chances, most of them in the first session, when the team found Felix Edward in the Indian Bank a formidable last hurdle.

Churchill Brothers could have taken the lead in the 22nd minute but a diving Edwards stopped Ayonso Francis' sizzling drive.

Barely a minute later, Rodrigues Riston unleashed a header that seemed headed towards the goal, but Edward was equal to the occasion.

In the final ten minutes of the first half, Indian Bank managed to create a few chances of its own, and came close to scoring too, when Syed Sabir Pasha, who was otherwise well marked, sneaked in from the left and essayed a shot from zero angle that goalkeeper Marc Mascarenhas managed to hold safely.

The deadlock continued until the 26th minute of the second half, when Yusuf finally struck gold.

He nearly made it 2-0 a minute later when his booming drive crashed against the crossbar. Indian Bank worked hard for an equaliser that eventually eluded it.

At Margao: Tollygunge holds Dempo SC: A gem of a goal by striker Akeem Abolanle helped Tollygunge Agragami hold Dempo SC to a 1-1 draw, at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda.

Dempo took the lead in 40th minute through substitute Francis Silveira. Tollygunge found the equaliser a few seconds before the final whistle through Abolanle.

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