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Saturday, Jan 06, 2007
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Sporting upstages JCT

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Three splendid goals and a surprise winner marked the inaugural match of the National Football League with Mohammedan Sporting giving its die-hard supporters plenty of unexpected joy at the Ambedkar Stadium here.

After Prime Minister Manmohan Singh kick- started the 11th edition of the NFL, Sporting bounced back from deficit to inflict a 2-1 defeat on JCT, Phagwara, on Friday.

For the better part of the match, JCT called the shots before shooting itself on the foot in the second half. It was left to rue a huge number of missed chances.

JCT took the lead in the 29th minute when Renedy Singh's long curling free-kick from the left-flank found the far corner of the net.

Equalised

Sporting, outplayed in the first half, created scoring opportunities in the second and eventually succeeded in equalising in the 67th minute with K. Kuluthungan, who came in for Harbinder Singh after the interval, capping a solo run from the left-flank with a perfect lob that eluded the outstretched hands of Kalyan Chaubey.

Even as JCT's Sunil Chetri twice came close to scoring, it was Sporting that found the match-winner in the 89th minute.

Following a desperate move from Sporting, JCT's Harish Sharma trapped the ball close to the goal-line on the right flank his failure to clear it proved costly. Sporting's Bijen Singh quickly relayed the ball inside the box for Habibur Mondal to head home the decisive goal.

"We would have been happy to draw the game," was the admission of Sporting skipper Madhab Das after the match.

"After all, JCT has a good record here while we have seldom done well at the ground. Our aim was to keep the pace down in the first session and give it all in the second. The ploy seemed to work well on this day."

JCT coach Sukhwinder Singh was very disappointed.

"We should have sealed three points in the first half itself. We missed too many chances. This is one match we should not have lost."

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