Kerala, Goa expect tough outing

APRIL 18: The nightmare still haunts MM Jacob. The Kerala coach for the 56th Santosh Trophy football championship, is yet to recover fully...

APRIL 18: The nightmare still haunts MM Jacob. The Kerala coach for the 56th Santosh Trophy football championship, is yet to recover fully from the stunning 1-3 defeat his team suffered at the hands of Bengal in the semifinal at Chennai last year.

8220;It was sort of an anti-climax,8221; said the coach, on the eve of Kerala8217;s semifinal clash against Goa, on Tuesday. 8220;We made silly errors at crucial junctures and paid a heavy price for it.8221;

Jacob is determined not to repeat the mistakes. 8220;Goa are a balanced outfit. They had dominated a good part of their quarterfinal league match against Maharashtra, and deserved a win too. They will indeed be tough opponents.8221;

Jacob, however, felt it won8217;t be wise to rate any of the four teams playing the semifinals, above their rivals. 8220;All the four sides are almost of equal strength. It is the day that matters. Luck counts much when the teams are equal on terms,8221; said Jacob, a former international.

Jacob hoped the team8217;s key striker Ignatius who had missed Kerala8217;s last outing would be fit for Wednesday8217;s match. 8220;He has a hamstring injury, and a final decision on his inclusion would be made only tomorrow.8221;

Jacob lauded his wingbacks for coming down into attack quite often, and initiating dangerous thrusts from deep in their half, in the quarter-final league match against Bengal. 8220;We played very well in the first half. Vijayan, in particular, excelled as an orchestrator of attacks.8221;

Marcus Pacheco, the Goan coach, expects Kerala to go all out in the semi-final match. 8220;With a packed stadium urging them on, they would be motivated to give their best on the field,8221; he said.

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Pacheco has no fixed tactics for the match. 8220;We use to adapt to the conditions, and tailor our game according to the rivals8217; approach,8221; he said.

The Goan coach felt his team was given a raw deal by the referee, who overruled the linesman8217;s decision and gifted8217; a flag-kick to Maharashtra in the 74th minute of Monday8217;s quarter-final league match. 8220;The linesman had ruled an onrushing Maharashtra player off-side, and kept his flag up for a few seconds. He seemed so sure about it,8221; Pacheco said. Maharashtra struck the equaliser off the resultant flagkick.

8220;The referee8217;s decision unsettled the entire team,8221; said the Goan coach. 8220;The players lost their concentration and temperament. It was a pity that we had to be content with a draw, despite having clear edge over the proceedings.8221;