The Hindu : Sport / Football : Salgaocar crowned champion

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Monday, Apr 09, 2007
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Salgaocar crowned champion

KOZHIKODE: Salgaocar emerged as the champion in the NFL second division and it has to thank Viva Kerala for that, as the Kochi team squandered a 3-1 lead before drawing with ONGC 3-3 in the last match at the Corporation Stadium here on Sunday.

A win would have given the title to Viva on its debut in the NFL, but it ended as the runner-up, with 10 points, two behind Salgaocar. Both the sides had already qualified for the NFL first division. Chirag United finished third in the seven points, two ahead of Vasco. Army XI and ONGC finished with three points apiece.

K. Shyju (seventh and 41st) and Baba Tunde (46th) were the scorers for Viva, while Tarif Ahmed (43rd and 83rd) and Rakshak Naik (56th) struck for ONGC. The match may have produced six goals, but it wasn't, by any stretch of imagination, one of the better games of this tournament.

ONGC's fighting spirit

While it is a match Viva would want to forget, ONGC deserves credit for the fighting spirit it displayed. Stanley Cypriaw played his heart out for ONGC and the young Tarif impressed yet again.

Viva missed the service of the talented P.K. Anil Kumar, its in-form striker and the top-scorer here for he had to sit out, after collecting two yellow cards. One couldn't have, however, asked more of his replacement, Shyju, who scored a brace, but Viva missed the passion of Anil.

Shyju's first goal had come rather against the run of play; and all he needed to do was to give finishing touch to a perfect square pass from the right by C. Shineraj, who was given an excellent pass by Baba. When Shyju found the target after P. Sajesh's attempt at the goal was punched away but not out of danger by the ONGC custodian Bilifang Narzary, Viva went 2-0 up and looked as though it would finish its campaign in style. ONGC, though, wasn't willing to give in without a fight. — Principal Correspondent

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