Although Air-India started as the favourites, Tollygunge played superior football and deserved to win.

Tired of creating moves, Bisu decided to go it alone in the 64th miniute, and got his reward immediately. Latching on to a stray ball off a weak clearance, the midfielder took his time in banging it home from the top of the box.

Perera finally made amends for earlier misses in the 80th minute when he dodged past left wing back Subir Sinha to place the ball into the net.Three minutes later, the Sri Lankan scored again through a swift counter-attack. A long clearance found the Tollygunge forward running away with the ball. He side-stepped Ajay Acharya and allowed'keeper Ansari to charge out. With his path clear, he just tapped the ball towards the goal from the edge of the box and gleefully watched it trickle into the goal.Drobotov nets winner

ITI 1.............................Indian Bank 0

BANGALORE: With the new foreign recruits doing justice to their induction, Indian Telephone Industries celebrated their return to the main fold of the National Football League with a solitary goal win over fancied Indian Bank, Chennai in a Group `B' encounter of the third edition of the league at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Wednesday.

A quick clearance by reliable defender Muralidharan and a one-touch by Suresh Babu set the ball for Aleksey Drobotov. He beat an advancing rival goalkeeper Felix Edward with a sweetly timed lob to score what turned out to be the eventual match-winner for the Telephonemen in the 23rd minute of the match.

ITI next play Mahindra and Mahindras of Mumbai at the same venue on Jan 13, while the Bankmen move on to play FC Kochi in Kerala on Jan10.

Unimpressive draw

Dempo SC 0...........Churchill Bros 0

MARGAO: DEMPO Sports Club and Churchill Brothers played out an unimpressive goalless draw to split points in a Group A NFL tie at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda today.

The less said the better as neither the teams on view or the spectators who turned up, went back satisfied for their money's worth.