Delhis hopes hang in balance

A draw against 29-times champions Bengal in their opening encounter of the quarter-final league in the 64th Santosh Trophy may have left the Delhi team....

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

A draw against 29-times champions Bengal in their opening encounter of the quarter-final league in the 64th Santosh Trophy may have left the Delhi team relieved but another draw on Monday against Tamil Nadu means the team remains in the knock-out zone.

With just two points from as many games,Delhi lie at the third position in Group B,with Bengal and Tamil Nadu inching closer to qualify for the semi-finals. The top two teams from each group qualify for the last four. Now it is a 50-50 situation for us. We did not want a draw against Tamil Nadu. It is tough for us now as both the teams are comfortably placed, admitted coach Ranjeet Thapa from Kolkata.

Expressing disappointment over his teams performance,Thapa said Delhi ought to have won this game. Despite taking the lead,Delhi could not hold on to it and succumbed to last-minute pressure,conceding a goal in the dying moments.

Story continues below this ad

Earlier too,Delhi had gone ahead,only to lose it in the closing minutes against West Bengal. Despite not having a great defence,Delhis complacency in letting down their guard after taking lead proved their undoing. It is always about taking the lead. We missed quite a few easy chances that could have finished the job for us. But now our chances of progressing look dim, Thapa said.

With a match left against Mizoram,Thapa is still hoping his squad can pull off a semi-final spot. He spoke of the need to tighten the defence to ensure the team does not get pushed on the defensive from a winning position. There is no problem with the strategy or the way we are heading in the tournament. The attack is good and even the defence is playing its part but I think fatigue sets in in the last minutes which makes us concede a goal, said Thapa.

Still hopeful

About the next game against Mizoram,the coach said,We have to attack as it is a do-or-die match for us. Now we are least concerned about the defence because our main need right now is to win with a big margin.

Meanwhile,Delhi goalkeeper Pranoy Roy,who made a brilliant save in the first half to give his team the edge over Tamil Nadu,said it was a scorcher of a goal in the 89th minute by the TN side that had him frozen onto the spot. I would only say that luck wasnt on our side. Having dominated the whole game,I have no idea how they scored,but the goal was worth appreciating, said Roy.

Story continues below this ad

Tuishim Mashangava,the highest scorer for Delhi in this years Santosh Trophy,was a shadow of himself. Thapa stressed the fact that his lead striker was looking lethargic and had to be rested. Mashangava was replaced by David Ngaihte who did not disappoint,scoring the lead in the 81st minute.

Though the team still hopes for a miracle,even if they are knocked out,Thapa said they would not return disappointed,satisfied with the fact that they remained unbeaten throughout the competition.