PSEB serve warning on rivals

Today8217;s match was more of the David versus the Goliath variety. Himalayan Tigers looked overawed by their more fancied opponents and lacked the knowhow to tackle them. The only realistic chance they must have fancied would have been on the counter-attacks. However, they failed on this front, each time they had an opportunity. So much so, that the PSEB custodian Jatinder Singh was hardly tested.

On the other hand, the PSEB forward trio of Parminder Singh, Kuldip Singh and Gurdish Singh showed remarkable agility to get through the rival defence time and again. Parminder Singh had a brace while Kuldip, who was substituted in the second half, and Gurdish warmed up with one goal each.

PSEB were quick off their blocks. Parminder Singh opened the team8217;s account in the seventh minute, beating two rival defenders and the goalkeeper. He was instrumental in the second goal as well. Getting a pass from the mid-field, Parminder rose from the right wing and passed the ball to the rushing left-out Kuldip, who neatly put it into the goal in the 29th minute of the game.

The third goal was set up by Kuldip a minute before the half time. This time he took the ball from the left flank and passed to Gurdish. Gurdish8217;s powerful kick gave goalkeeper Govind Thapa no chance. At this stage a PSEB win looked inevitable though it remained to be seen as to what the margin would be. PSEB substituted Kuldip with Kamaljit and veteran full-back Manpreet Singh with Harvinder Pal Singh. Kamaljit was immediately in action and played key roles in his side8217;s next two goals.

Barely nine minutes into the second half 54th minute, PSEB created a move from the centre as Madan Lal gave a pass to Kamaljit who on passed it to Parminder who showed his scoring skill once again. The fifth goal, in the 57th minute, was simply the best of the match. Kamaljit capitalised on a lapse by a Himalayan Tiger defender and took the ball upfront near the box. Even as the rival goalkeeper was rushing out, Kamaljit8217;s diving kick sold him a dummy.

Substitute Satnam Singh completed the rituals with another fine solo effort in the 84th minute. Towards the end, the Himalayan Tiger goalkkeper Govind Thapa came up with some good saves but it was too late in the day to change the final outcome.

PSEB will now meet the winners of the City Club Delhi-Sports Hostel Haldwani encounter in the semifinal.

Teams:
PSEB: Jatinder Singh; Harjinder Singh; Dalip Kumar; Manpreet Singh Harvinder Pal Singh; Sukhbir Singh; Parminder Singh; Madan Lal Satnam Singh; Gurvinder Singh; Gurdish Singh; Kuldip Singh Kamaljit; Sandip Saini.
Himalayan Tigers: Govind Thapa; Rajeev Joshi; Vijay Pathania; Rajesh Kumar; Jamal Khan; Virender Singh; Rupender Bali; Kamal Kant; Sushil Sen; Kamal Kishore; Parmod Kumar.