The Hindu : Sport / Football : TN shocks Punjab

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 16, 2005

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Sport - Football

TN shocks Punjab

Sports Reporter

Tiruchi: Host Tamil Nadu pulled off a surprise 3-0 win over holder Punjab and entered the semifinals of the 14th National under-21 (inter-zone) football championship at the St. Joseph's College HSS grounds here on Wednesday.

In a three-way tie between Tamil Nadu, Services and Punjab in Group A the teams finished with six points apiece. However, Tamil Nadu and Services clinched the top two berths on a better goal aggregate.

Punjab started as the favourite but it was Tamil Nadu that dominated the first half of the match. It showed that it could defend as well as attack and even fired an early goal so necessary to its plans.

In the 23rd minute, the frailty of Punjab's defence was exposed as a weakly struck shot from Tamil Nadu's striker Muthuswamy crept lazily into the net. It was a well-combined effort by the frontline that earned the goal for the team.

Worst yet to come

The very next minute saw Naresh and captain Venkatesan striking a dangerous move inside the penalty area. The former latched on to a high cross and fed it to the latter who lashed it out of sight.

The worst for Punjab was yet to come. Four minutes later, Durairaj worked the ball to Charles Raymond, who was in a strong position to attack the goal.

Defender Ranjit Singh instinctively blocked the effort only to find the ball brush his legs and roll into the net. It was poor understanding between the Punjab custodian and Ranjit that cost the team dearly and left the defence dazed.

The Tamil Nadu forwards continued to attack from all angles, while Punjab did not seem to have the wherewithal to counter.

One expected the wounded Punjab lions to roar in the second half. They did, for a brief period, but the Tamil Nadu boys managed to tame their rivals with some brilliant efforts. It was surprising that this attacking instinct was missing when the team crossed swords with Services.

Moment of fortune

Five minutes into the session, Tamil Nadu once again had its moment of fortune. Captain Venkatesan sneaked into the danger area and packed a volley that kissed the hand of a Punjab defender. The referee reacted in a flash and showed the spot. Durairaj, who gained the chance, fired a grounder home.

The last ten minutes saw the Punjab boys going flat out to save some face, but never managed to reverse the early setbacks. One should not rob the credit of Tamil Nadu custodian Billa, who proved too good for the Punjab forwards.

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