Mensah puzzles Kochin

MARGAO, MARCH 1: Philip Mensah, braving fever, scored both goals to steer Churchill Brothers to their third-successive 2-0 win in the Coc...

MARGAO, MARCH 1: Philip Mensah, braving fever, scored both goals to steer Churchill Brothers to their third-successive 2-0 win in the Coca-Cola Super Six National Football League (NFL) and a position at the top of the table.The Ghanian striker scored in the 19th and 26th minutes to knock the fight out of a young Kerala side, erring yet again in defence and seemingly finding it hard to cope with a gruelling schedule.

Mensah’s duel strike now makes him the League’s top scorer with nine, closely followed by Salgaocar’s Bruno Coutinho and East Bengal’s Raman Vijayan.

Kochin, enduring their fourth-successive defeat in the Super Six and their fifth NFL loss in a row, quickly faced after enjoying two early chances.Once again it was Edward Ansah in goal who made his presence felt-sliding to deny Kochin forward Najeeb, put through by mid-fielder Karanukar Raj when the match was only in its fifth minute.

Story continues below this ad

The burly Ghanian custodian then blocked Najeeb’s angular attempt as Kochin’s characteristic speed and staminain early phases of battles brought out the best in the young side, replete with Tata Football Academy talent.But as coach Sreedharan said after the match, speed and strength have its limitsespecially in the case of young players. “My boys lack the endurance in such a prolonged campaign. That is my problem.”

Following the early sparkle, Mensah struck immediately after Najeeb failed with an opportunity. Cruelly, for Kochin, defensive shortcomings once again determined the fate of the match. Somatai Shaiza crossed from left and Mensah lurking at the top of the area, found the net with a left-footer that punished both goalkeeper Naseem Akhtar, who had advanced.

Portuguese striker Jose D’Cruz, putting in a better effort today, then set up the second goal with a long diagonal lob that Mensah collected after determined run. The Ghanian used his left foot again to blast past Akhtar and break Kochin’s spirit.

Calcutta Derby in Goa

East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, for the first time ever, clash in Goa andthe Calcutta derby will still be fraught with the tension and high expectations despite being away from the Eastern metropolis’s high pressure cauldron. How Goa’s football loving crowd will respond to this crunch NFL match remains to be seen but both coaches and teams don’t see anything different from an encounter back home where every clash between the big two of Calcutta soccer is a historical event.

Story continues below this ad

Both sides are licking their wounds after being humbled by Goan sides in the competition Bagan by Churchill, Bengal by Salgaocar. The advantage, however, might appear to lie with Bagan.

Bengal, besides being outplayed by Salgaocar 1-2, will be without two top foreigners stopper Jackson Agaypong and Emmanuel Okappu. Agaypong picked up two yellows and an automatic red against Salgaocar while Okupu collected a second yellow playing against the team.