The Hindu : Sport / Football : TFA emerges winner

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Sport

Sport - Football

TFA emerges winner

Principal Correspondent

BANGALORE: Tata Football Academy (TFA), Jamshedpur, is the ONGC Cup Second Division National Football League champion. The talented, but unexposed youthful side put it across Coca-Cola Churchill Brothers 2-1 in a stunning result to finish at the top of the six-team super league with 12 points for the title.

The match commenced under a dark cloud cover and twice the spectators had to scurry for cover, but nothing fruitful ensued in the middle. But when the showers got thicker and fiercer in the second half, so did the game.

In the 57th minute, TFA, which did have the better of the exchanges even in the first session, shot into the lead with substitute Vimal Pariyar booting home a rebound. Roberth Lalthalama's shot was blocked by Churchill custodian Vinay Singh but Pariyar, who had come in for Satish Kumar only minutes earlier, scored off the rebound.

Churchill, having become the first team to qualify for the Premier League next season, showed some urgency in the early moments of the game, but slipped thereafter. Eventually, Churchill got the equaliser in the 66th minute through Odafe Okolie, who dribbled past two stoppers and goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya to slot into an empty goal.

Despite the rain getting heavier and the ground getting water-logged, referee D.K. More carried on gamely as did the two teams.

A few skirmishes and slides did earn the referee's wrath, who showed the yellow card to five players — three from Churchill Brothers' (Syed Hussain, Odafe Okolie and substitute Vanlal Rova Chuango) and Chandrashekhar and Lalthalama of TFA.

With time ticking away and the visibility becoming poorer, came TFA's match-winner through a rebound. Substitute Branco Cardozo essayed a stiff 35-yard free kick, which Vinay Singh was unable to collect and Lalthalama shot home to the delight of the drum-beating TFA fans — all from its coach Carlton Chapman's Austin Town (Bangalore) locality.

Chapman was understandably delighted at TFA's success and its maiden entry into the First Division. "We have some ex-TFA boys to fall back on and since we have a tie-up with Southampton, we will induct some players from the English club to bolster our campaign next season," said Chapman.

Churchill, which also earned promotion, finished with 10 points.

How they finished (read as: played, won, draw, lost, goals for, goals against, points): TFA 5-4-0-1-7-3-12; Churchill Brothers 5-3-1-16-3-10; HAL 5-3-0-2-5-4-9; Army XI 5-2-2-1-7-6-8; Vasco SC 5-0-2-3-5-9-2; SBT 5-0-1-4-4-9-1.

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