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Journalism of Courage
You win some, you lose some, is sport defined simply. The National Football League, with just four rounds to go, sprung into life with some surprise results and thus renewed interest; especially seeing that East Bengal have caused it to be a one-team-show all the way. If winning helped EB grab headlines, their downfall did so equally, for it came after a 17-match unbeaten run. The Guru Nanak Dev University ground, Ludhiana, bore testimony to their defeat at the hands of inaugural NFL winners JCT, Phagwara. Victory for the home side extended their unbeaten run to eight matches and in the process put them in the reckoning with Vasco SC, Salgaocar SC and Mohun Bagan for a second place finish.
Overall, the week was disappointing for the Kolkata sides as both defending champs Mohun Bagan and Tollygunge Agragami fell to visitors Vasco SC and Mahindra United at home. Bagan, in fact, were trailing 0-3 at one stage before they rallied twice, while Tolly, after taking the lead, lost in the last minute of play.
ITI Bangalore could well start thinking of rebuilding their side for next year. Figuring twice during the week, ITI did well to log their first win over counterparts Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The win that came after 16 matches was made possible by substitutes Jiten Rai and Louis Nickson late into the second-half. However, their next match was a blooper. Indian Bank, Chennai, aided by a hat-trick by their Sri Lankan import Kasun Nadig Jeyasuriya — his second this year — hammered a 6-1 verdict. Indian Bank thus moved out of relegation zone and need just one more point to make sure that they cannot get relegated.
ITI, however, have lost all chances of staying in the Premier Division. Citymates HAL have to win all their remaining matches and hope Indian Bank lose all theirs to retain their place. In Goa, last-years top-scorer Yusif Yakubu (Churchill Brothers) became the sixth player to join the hat-trick club, guiding his team to a 5-0 verdict over Indian Bank. The win was Churchill’s biggest so far, while Yakubu’s effort put him on par with Mike Okoro (East Bengal) as the league top-Scorer with 14 goals. The league takes a one-month break from today onwards, as the Indian tem prepares for the Asia Cup and Pre-Olympic tournaments scheduled later this month and early April respectively.
