MARGAO, January 18: India's cricketing triumph rose Fatorda Stadium to a crescendo but failed to lift Salgoacar past their bogey team JCT Mills in today's Philips National Football League (NFL) match here.The Federation Cup winners crashed to their fourth successive defeat against the Phagwara millmen, conceding the only goal of the match on the dot of half-time through a defensive blunder.
A dreadful mix-up between goalkeeper Juje Siddi and defender Roberto Fernandes, provided Bhupinder Singh a chance on a platter and the JCT mid-fielder slotted home without much ado.
Salgoacar stumbled to their second defeat in the League and slipped to the fourth spot with Mohun Bagan's victory over Mahindras -- a result that now takes the Calcutta side to the top of the table ahead of FC Kochin and Air-India.
JCT, who slipped badly after a resounding start to their campaign, notched their second win in seven matches but it pushed the Punjab outfit to fifth spot from seventh.
Nigerian defender Musa Aliu proved
to be the bulwark in JCT's defence that according to coach Sukhinder Singh, was the keynote of his team's success today.
Sukhinder's opposite number, Shabbir Ali, was left lamenting the wastefulness of his strikers.
Instead, on the run of play, especially in the first half, it appeared that the Goan side would walk away with the match and three points that would take them to the top of the table.
The pressure that the Goans exerted was enormous but JCT, seasoned campaigners that they are, absorbed everything that Bruno Coutinho, Sanaton Singh and Nigerian striker Jude Odegah threw at them in the early moments. As Salgoacar sniffed goal, Odegah gave indication of the malady to plague the home side, supported by a strong 18,000 Sunday crowd.
JCT, though, refused to succumb to the incessant pressure and often forayed into enemy territory. Stephen Abarowei's gangling but graceful runs causing the occasional consternation in Salgaoncar's defence. Ironically, the best chance in the first session fell to
JCT's Bhupinder, who volleyed clumsily from Abarowie's cross.
Prodigality is often punished and much to Salgaocar's chargin, JCT struck in the last minute before the interval.
The impressive Manjinder Singh made yet another overlapping run on the right and his cross threw Salgoacar's formidable defence into panic.
Siddi left his line while Roberto Fernandes floundered, failed to make contact with the ball and Abarowie found Bhupinder with a square pass from the touchline. A simple nudge into goal, but it was enough to knock a greater deal of stuffing out of Salgaocar, with only seconds left for half-time.
A relatively pedestrian second half saw honours even as JCT attempted to control matters by slowing the pace.
Fireworks and the wave of excitement engulfed the stadium as cricket news filtered through out but Salgaocar failed to capitalise on the din they could well have mistaken for egging-on by the huge crowd.
But the phlegmatic Punjab side stood their ground as Salgaocar's offensives looked
sadly out of depth.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
