Air-India 4 UBI 4

Air-India 4 UBI 4
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

Mumbai, July 15: In an encounter that had all the action and excitement of a John Woo movie, defending champion Air-India were held to a 4-4 draw by a relatively weaker Union bank of India (UBI) in a Allwyn-Harwood League match at the Cooperage on Saturday. The teams were locked 1-1 at the breather.

A youthful UBI side displayed good temperament and skill to waive-off a spirited challenge from the airmen and their cause was helped by some poor play by the Air-India defenders in the second half. And to add to the airmen's woes, their custodian Yusuf Ansari gifted the bankmen the all-important equaliser in dying minutes of the game.

With this draw, UBI now have one point from three matches having lost their last two encounters, while Air-India have five from three matches. In their last two games, Air-India drew against Western Railway and beat Mumbai Customs.

It was action time in today's clash with the bankmen moving in for the kill as early as the fourth minute when right half Francis Pereira centred one off a rebound, from a corner kick, to Benoy Kuruvilla who failed to head it home with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Airmen soon launched a counter-attack. Antony Fernandes tried to convert a cross from Khambiton but the ball hit the bar and was cleared by bank defender Dhirendra Singh.

The first of the eight goals came through Supreet Jathana for the bankmen in the 11th minute when Jathana's left footer from an acute angle beat Air-India custodian. Airmen could have restored parity on two occasions. First in the 25th minute when Tomba Singh failed to head home a Ratan Singh cross from left. And in the 32nd minute when Herbert Phillip shot straight into the hands of an advancing custodian.

Herbert, however, equalised for the airmen in the 36th minute when custodian Atif Ansari failed miserably in clearing a Tomba Singh centre. Herbert later earned a yellow card for rough play in the first half.

The pace of the game picked up all the more after the lemon break and Air-India went 2-1 up in the very first minute thanks again to UBI goalie Atif Ansari. He failed to hold Herbert's shot from the right, leaving striker Narendra Meeti to just guide the ball in open goal post.

Undeterred by the happening, UBI soon made amends breaking past by now a weakened Air-India defence in the 60th minute. Medio Ryan D'Souza shot home from close range for the bankmen after the Air-India defenders had failed to clear Vijay Thapa's shot.

Three minutes later, Air-India defender Radhakrishna Dubey headed home a Subir Sinha free kick to put the team ahead (3-2).

The see-saw battle continued as seven minutes later Ryan D'Souza equalised the scores for the bankmen scoring off a throw-in (3-3).

Fortunes soon swung the Air-India way as Tomba Singh brought off a lucky goal in the 70th minute shooting from top of the penalty box. Though the shot was poor, it still had enough steam to beat UBI bartender who was clueless as the ball came through from between the legs of four defenders.

The match now appeared heading the Air-India way before custodian Yusuf Ansari threw a spanner in his own's team's works gifting an equaliser to the bankmen in the penultimate minute. Valentine Fernandes' flag kick floated across the goalpost and straight into the hands of goalkeeper Yusuf Ansari. The 'keeper did well to catch the ball but hit by the force fell inside the post much to the delight of the bankmen.