The Hindu : Sport / Football : Fransa's chances get a boost

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 05, 2004

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Sport - Football

Fransa's chances get a boost

KOCHI, MAY 4. Under the gloomy skies, there should have been a shower of goals. Instead, after missing umpteen chances, Fransa FC walked away with a narrow 2-1 victory over Punjab Police in the Second Division National Football League (Phase I, Group `C') at the Nehru Stadium here on Tuesday evening.

All the goals came in the first session. The Kerala-born forward Mohammed Najeeb and Nigerian midfielder Adewusi Tokonbo scored for Fransa while the Punjab cops' medio Vijay Pal reduced the margin with a spot kick.

The victory, the Goan team's second from three matches, boosted Fransa's chances of gaining a final round berth. Fransa has seven points while Punjab Police finished its engagements in the five-team group with just one point. Fransa plays strong State Bank of Travancore, the first team to make the main phase, in the league's final round on Thursday.

While Fransa built up its attack with short passes, with medios Cresson J.Antao and Adewusi Tokonbo doing much of the running back and forth, the Punjab cops advanced through the wings, with Bachitter Singh from the left and Vijay Pal on the right working smartly.

But Parminder Singh, who had been a consistent shooter for the Punjab cops, was clearly off colour this evening and was substituted early in the second session.

The cops' citadel fell early. Mohammed Najeeb gathered a Naushad Pari pass and let a sharp one go from the right in the fifth minute. Goalkeeper Paramjit Singh almost got a hand to it, but he was a too slow.

A few minutes later, Brazilian Emerson da Silva charged menacingly from the left but his powerful effort was well taken by the Punjab custodian.

Punjab Police's equaliser came in the 23rd minute. Fransa's tall Brazilian defender Marcos Setto had been doing a superb job thwarting many a threat but he accidentally put out a hand, which came in the way of a Vijay Pal effort inside the box. Referee Miniangshu Bhattacharjee awarded a penalty which Vijay Pal himself converted.

After Marlangki Suting's long-ranger hit the crosspiece, Fransa went ahead in the 43rd minute. Fed from the right by Cresson Anto, Tokonbo dodged and danced his way past the defenders and shot from the top of the box.

Fransa enjoyed a clear edge in the second session but Emerson and Tokonbo missed many chances. Punjab's Harish Sharma also offered a lovely cross to Harpreet toward the end, but the striker shot over in haste. — Our Sports Reporter

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