MUMBAI, JULY 21: RCF striker Govindan Sajju provided the drama and the goals on a day when both of these commodities were at a premium in the Gulf Oil Super Division match at Cooperage.Sajju struck twice in the last ten minutes to help RCF overturn a 0-1 deficit and upset the applecart of BMFC. RCF were helped generously by the pitch. The trampled grass formed a paste with the wet mud and every attempt to move the ball on the turf took twice the effort.To get grip on such a surface, the boots needed spikes that were at least three inches long.As such, it helped another unfancied team earn a point - Union Bank holding Mahindras goalless in the first encounter.Sajju headed in substitute Sanjav Sheikh's cross when the defence kept looking at him. Then another faulty clearance by Harsharanhit Singh gave Sajju the ball and he scored six minutes later to give RCF an unlikely victory.A gem of a free-kick conversion by Santosh Kashyap had given BMFC the lead. Kashyap got the award 20 yards out on thecentre of the field. Kashyap curled the ball over the heads of the wall to find the top left corner of keeper Suhas Patil's goal.RCF deserved their victory every bit. BMFC showed fraility in their defence and particularly when they were hustled into errors. The pace of Suman Dayal and Douglas D'Sena on the flanks coupled with the solidity of Sajju in the centre made life difficult for BMFC back four. Sajju may have lost plenty of pace, but has to ability to draw two players on him. With the hard-working Baleshwar Sharma on the right in the centre providing the passes, BMFC's task was cut out.They would not have conceded the goals, had it been for better marking of Sajju in the first case and a clumsy defensive clearance from Harsharanjit in the second case.NADEEM THE BARMAN: Nadeem Ansari, the Union Bank goalkeeper, was good in the first half, brilliant in the second. Four outstanding saves in the second thwarted Mahindras and the Bankers escaped to a single point from the draw.Mahindrashad virtually no opening in the first half. They probably erred in playing down the centre in the first half. Having better mobility, they would have done well to use the flanks better. Mahindras also seemed to lack the bite in attack.They quickly changed the composition of the team, bringing three forwards - Nitin Pradhan, Manjit Singh and Abhishek Yadav in the second half.It did not bring the desired results. But they sustained the pressure for the last 20 minutes starting with a move that brought the best from 'keeper Nadeem.M Najeeb's opportunity was thwarted by the diving Nadeem who jumped out of his charge and blocked the ball off Najeeb who had the goal at his mercy and only Nadeem to beat.Nadeem's other saves were a forward dive to save a cross from the right, a brilliant overhead collection to deny Nitin Pradhan and a punch out of Pradhan's meaty 20-yard shot.Union Bank kept one forward, Lance Fonseca, up and troubled Mahindras in the second half. They had a couple of chances, onecoming off a set piece.
