The need came to light following their unimpressive goalless draw today against Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting in the IFA Shield group league quarter-final tie at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan.
Although the match went goalless, both the sides obtained plenty of opportunities. It was Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting, who came up with more penetrative football, dspite coming here without much training in the last couple of months.
For the Dhaka team, their Morrocan duo of Hakim Daodi and Adil Karrouchi stood out with hard work and intelligent off-the-ball movements in the attacking-third. At the same time, the team’s two side backs, particularly Wali Faisal’s excellent effort in overlapping to gain numerical advantage in the attacking-third, helped the Bangladeshi premier side to press the opposition every now and then. The Dhaka side was shade unlucky as well, as Faisal’s right-footer from inside the box rebounded off the crosspiece in the 59th minute. On another occasion, a Karrouchi left-footer came off the crosspiece in the 72nd minute.
For the Mohammedan Sporting of the Maidan, it was key Nigerian striker Mike Okoro who cut a sorrow figure, having clearly lost his trademark touch in the penetrative zone. Okoro failed to convert a sitter in the 70th minute after Jyothi Kumar set him up with a superb flick inside the box.
In the day’s other IFA Shield match, South African side Santos FC dazzled on their arrival to outclass Mahindra United 2-0 in a quarter-final group league match. The foreign outfit, who finished seventh in their premier division league, scored once in each half through their redoubtable striker Taslem Paulse in the floodlit encounter at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan.
Santos, who have come with a squad of mainly second stringers, went into the lead as early as the seventh minute when Paulse latched on to a clearance from his own defence and set off on a long run at a searing pace that foxed the rival rearguards.
The striker dribbled past Mahindra right back Sunil Kumar, cut into the box, and slotted home. The foreigners doubled their lead in the 50th minute. Midfielder Danny Rodrick addressed a long ball from near the centre-line to Paulse, who avoided the offside trap set by the Mahindra defence and put the ball home with a rasping volley that went to the right of Mahindra goalkeeper Nandy.
The South Africans dominated their rivals for the lion’s share of the match, and could have left the field with a larger margin but for Mahidnra defender Susanth Mathew, who made a goalline save, while Nandy also prevented his side’s decline on one occasion.