Pune FC 1 (Izumi Arata – 19th)
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Dempo SC 0
GOA: Dempo Sports Club lost a potentially title deciding 19th round I-League clash after Pune FC stole their thunder 1-0 at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Sunday.
Dempo started the match with a five point advantage over second placed East Bengal.
A win against Pune FC would have given them a crucial eight point advantage over their nearest rivals and the title would have been theirs to lose.
But, in a match where they seldom rose above the levels of mediocrity, Dempo found the visitors too stubborn to break down.
Izumi Arata scored the only goal of the match for Pune FC in the 19th minute and then the visitors defended resolutely to pick three crucial points.
It not just helped Pune FC improve their standing but also infused life into the I-League title race as the likes of East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Churchill Brothers saw their chances being given the kiss of life.
Dempo surprisingly took time to settle down and it was this hesitancy that Pune FC looked to exploit at the start.
Izumi Arata and Keita Mandjou left the rival defence guessing in the initial stages, and although Keita seemed particularly dangerous, it was Arata who headed the first goal after Baldeep Singh’s cross seemed inch perfect.
Almost immediately, Keita had a golden opportunity to put Pune two goals ahead, but the striker after doing exceptionally well to beat strong challenges from Clifford Miranda and Mahesh Gawli, surprisingly shot wide with only the goalkeeper at his mercy.
Clifford Miranda’s flick that was saved on the goalline by Pune defender Caitano costa was the closest, Dempo came to scoring in the first session.
The second session saw the league leaders create several chances, all of which were wasted by the likes of Ranty Martins, Koko Sakibo.
Coach Mauricio Afonso introduced a new pair of strikers in Joaquim Abranches and Joy Ferrao but the two strikers too missed easy chances
Man of the Match was awarded to Anas Etadhodika (Pune).
Air India 2 (Ezeh Henry – 38th & Sandeep Sangh – 45th+)
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HAL Bangalore 1 (Jagaba Hamza – 86th)
PUNE: Air India defeated Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore, 2-1 to consolidate its position in the standings after both the teams put up a great show in the 19th round I-League encounter at the Balewadi Sports Complex on Sunday.
In a fast-paced match, Air India went up 2-0 before the halftime and defended their lead for most part, before Jagaba Hamza goal four minutes from close spoiled their clean slate.
Nonetheless, three points from this round raised their point tally to 27, while HAL is at the bottom on the table with six points.
Soon after the start, both Air India and HAL started gamely with frontline immediately taking chances. In the 26th minute, Manjit set up a move from the left and sent a cross to Bijoy Basfore, who missed a sitter from the box. A free-kick earned in the 37th minute worked for Air India as HAL goalkeeper P Pramod only managed to punch it back into play.
The ball went wide on the right wing where Basfore collected it and sent it back high into the box. Henry leapt to head and connected the ball, which sailed into the net.
Air India’s second goal came out of the blue, when Sandeep Sangha finally managed to find the net on a curling shot, about 40 yards from the post.
Sangha actually had sent the ball for Henry to head and Pramod was eyeing the Air India striker. Instead, the ball angled and dropped into the netting from the top of the post leaving HAL goalkeeper flummoxed.
On resumption, there was no let up from each side as the pace of the match continued with Meiti sending neat defence splitting passes. Once he almost scored, but Air India defender Lamine Tamba made a goal-line save with the ball in the air leaving a room for HAL to express its displeasure.
With just four minutes left for regulation time to end, Meiti moved from the left and sent the ball on the right, where Hamza made a frantic turn as the ball landed behind him and pushed it into the net.
Jagaba Hamza of HAL was adjudged man of the match. (Source: AIFF)
Beat
Dempo SC 0
GOA: Dempo Sports Club lost a potentially title deciding 19th round I-League clash after Pune FC stole their thunder 1-0 at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Sunday.
Dempo started the match with a five point advantage over second placed East Bengal.
A win against Pune FC would have given them a crucial eight point advantage over their nearest rivals and the title would have been theirs to lose.
But, in a match where they seldom rose above the levels of mediocrity, Dempo found the visitors too stubborn to break down.
Izumi Arata scored the only goal of the match for Pune FC in the 19th minute and then the visitors defended resolutely to pick three crucial points.
It not just helped Pune FC improve their standing but also infused life into the I-League title race as the likes of East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Churchill Brothers saw their chances being given the kiss of life.
Dempo surprisingly took time to settle down and it was this hesitancy that Pune FC looked to exploit at the start.
Izumi Arata and Keita Mandjou left the rival defence guessing in the initial stages, and although Keita seemed particularly dangerous, it was Arata who headed the first goal after Baldeep Singh’s cross seemed inch perfect.
Almost immediately, Keita had a golden opportunity to put Pune two goals ahead, but the striker after doing exceptionally well to beat strong challenges from Clifford Miranda and Mahesh Gawli, surprisingly shot wide with only the goalkeeper at his mercy.
Clifford Miranda’s flick that was saved on the goalline by Pune defender Caitano costa was the closest, Dempo came to scoring in the first session.
The second session saw the league leaders create several chances, all of which were wasted by the likes of Ranty Martins, Koko Sakibo.
Coach Mauricio Afonso introduced a new pair of strikers in Joaquim Abranches and Joy Ferrao but the two strikers too missed easy chances
Man of the Match was awarded to Anas Etadhodika (Pune).
Air India 2 (Ezeh Henry – 38th & Sandeep Sangh – 45th+)
Beat
HAL Bangalore 1 (Jagaba Hamza – 86th)
PUNE: Air India defeated Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore, 2-1 to consolidate its position in the standings after both the teams put up a great show in the 19th round I-League encounter at the Balewadi Sports Complex on Sunday.
In a fast-paced match, Air India went up 2-0 before the halftime and defended their lead for most part, before Jagaba Hamza goal four minutes from close spoiled their clean slate.
Nonetheless, three points from this round raised their point tally to 27, while HAL is at the bottom on the table with six points.
Soon after the start, both Air India and HAL started gamely with frontline immediately taking chances. In the 26th minute, Manjit set up a move from the left and sent a cross to Bijoy Basfore, who missed a sitter from the box. A free-kick earned in the 37th minute worked for Air India as HAL goalkeeper P Pramod only managed to punch it back into play.
The ball went wide on the right wing where Basfore collected it and sent it back high into the box. Henry leapt to head and connected the ball, which sailed into the net.
Air India’s second goal came out of the blue, when Sandeep Sangha finally managed to find the net on a curling shot, about 40 yards from the post.
Sangha actually had sent the ball for Henry to head and Pramod was eyeing the Air India striker. Instead, the ball angled and dropped into the netting from the top of the post leaving HAL goalkeeper flummoxed.
On resumption, there was no let up from each side as the pace of the match continued with Meiti sending neat defence splitting passes. Once he almost scored, but Air India defender Lamine Tamba made a goal-line save with the ball in the air leaving a room for HAL to express its displeasure.
With just four minutes left for regulation time to end, Meiti moved from the left and sent the ball on the right, where Hamza made a frantic turn as the ball landed behind him and pushed it into the net.
Jagaba Hamza of HAL was adjudged man of the match. (Source: AIFF)
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