Tractors, Akola advance

Akola District Football Association encountered little difficulty beating a depleted CYS 4-1 after leading by a goal at the interval.

Tractors were two up by the 36th minute after striker Arunava Kanjilala and Samra Ansari found the net. Kanjilal wasted no time to rifle past goalkeeper Akhlaque Ahmed amid a goalmouth scramble in the 10th minute to draw first blood.

With the Mumbai side calling the tune, Jalgaon defender Ian Kingseller’s gift in the form of handball gave Ansari the opportunity to score with a fluent shot to the right of the ‘keeper from the penalty spot.

The change of endsseemed to beckon change of fortunes. Jalgaon, apparently helped by the wind, began pressing Tractors.

Surely enough, striker Vincent D’Souza pulled one back in the 51st minute slotting in angularly past Atif Ansari in goal after a good run on the right flank.

Jalgaon threatened again within minutes but Yaswant Patil shot over with the goalkeeper at his mercy after receiving from Alwyn Adams. When D’Souza came close to scoring his second in the 67th minute after the linesman’s flag surprisingly stayed down, Mahindra Tractors’ lead looked fragile.

The Mumbai side could have made it safe but Anthony Powell twice hit the post within six minutes and midfielder Rakesh Yadav shot wide in front of an open goal.

Jalgaon, however, ran out of firepower as the local side played out time to meet Akola in the second round.

Akola presented a fine strike force in which Syed Naim and Javed were ever-threatening. Naim struck two, putting his side in the lead in the 2nd minute before combining with Javed to score witha splendid left-footer in the 58th minute.

Yunus Khan in the Akola goal did not get too far with a blunder. CYS’s mid-fielder C Hamza grabbed a second opportunity within seconds, directing a cross from the left into goal to reduce the margin in the 59th minute.

But with CYS, missing several regulars to injury, failing to find touch or rhythm, Akola sealed the match with a 67th-minute strike by Javed who dribbled past the ‘keeper to score.

Ilyas Khan found the roof of the net in the 73rd minute to complete the rout after another individual attempt left two defenders and goalkeeper Arshad Khan for dead.