Plucky Churchill hold Padanga

The match kicked off with the Indonesian team enjoying the lions share of possession but they seemed to be content with just holding the ball and not make any meaningful move on goal. The Indonesians probed their opposition,looking to find a chink Churchill Brothers’ armour. Churchill,who were missing their in-form striker Henri Antchouet due to personal problems,seemed tentative on the ball and regularly seemed to hurry their moves.

Thus,it was a surprise that the opening goal was scored by home side. Attacking midfielder Roberto Mendes Da Silva (Beto) swept in a cross. The breeze helped the ball perilously close to goal but Semen Padang’s goalkeeper pushed it over the bar. From the resulting corner in the 23rd minute,Denzil Franco whipped in a perfect cross in,which was duly headed in by Sunil Chhetri.

The goal seemed to have woken up the Indonesians who made regular forays into the Churchill half. One such attack,albeit an individual one,restored parity for Padang. Striker Hendra Bayuaw received the ball off a throw,35 yards out on the right. The diminutive striker weaved past Franco,left Churchill skipper Ravanan for dead and then shrugged off Lamine Tamba before coolly firing home from an acute angle.

The goal seemed to have rattled Churchill as nine minutes later,goalkeeper Sandip Nandy gifted Padang another goal which handed visitors the lead. Nandy collected a regulation corner and then made unnecessary haste to clear the ball. His meek throw from the edge of the penalty box,supposedly to the advancing Steven Dias fell straight to Muhammad Rizal who chipped the ball first time into the net from 20 yards out.

Churchill owner Churchill Alemao had a few choice words for Nandy as he returned to the dressing room at half time and a further few words from their coach Dias and technical director Subhash Bhowmick seemed to have fired up the Goan side. Twelve minutes after the restart,Beto chested down a high Ravanan cross and Bikramjit Singh blasted home a fierce half-volley to restore parity.

After that,Churchill were content to sit back and did not attempt any ambitious attacking moves. In the 70th minute,Beto clashed with Padang keeper Jandia Eka Putra. Beto and Putra went up for a high ball and during the jump,Beto’s head crashed into the keeper’s jaw. Beto’s frenzied reaction towards the medical staff seemed to suggest that a serious injury had been sustained. The bleeding Putra,it was later learnt that he had suffered a concussion,was immediately taken to hospital and is now said to be out of danger.