Vasco make a winning start, ITI held

One side will progress to the quarter-final league stage from the group and Vasco’s three points gives them an ideal start after a first half display that brought no reward despite enjoying almost incessant domination.

The Calcutta side took the lead against the run of play when a defensive lapse allowed Sujit Dey the simplest of tasks, of tapping into goal from Souren Sardar’s angular ball, into the box in the 13th minute.

The Goan side, fourth in the league back home, restored parity only in the second half. Premanand Gadekar,who until then experienced a nightmare of a match, struck home with a wonderful touch at a long ball from the impressive Sudanese mid-fielder Hassan in the 56th minute.

Gadekar, more than making amends for faltering uncertainties in the first half, paved for the match-winner in the 64th minute. Gregory Clark crossed from the left and Gadekar, attempting an angular shot, had skipper Mathew D’Costa connecting home amid frenetic action in front of goal.

ITI looked better bets at the outset but after the hyper Central goalkeeper Raghuveer Khanolkar denied the livewire Sudharkar Babu with a courageous save, the railwaymen took the lead in the 19th minute.

Defender Amir Lotlikar played a tricky ball into the area that had ‘keeper Balaji groping after the ball hit the bar. Arshad Ansari was at hand to place home and draw local cheers.

The telecom men, however, were not to be denied as they contrived to take the game by the scruff after the change of ends. They launched a furious assault on the railwaycitadel with forwards Suresh Babu and RC Prakash providing the sparkle and medios, the diminutive Sudhakar and Rishi Kapoor piecing together some attractive — and dangerous — moves.

After Sudhakar had a goal deemed offside even as he broke into celebration, the other prominent striker RC Prakash blasted home the equaliser after latching on adeptly to wing-back Rishi Kapoor’s defence-splitting diagonal in the 59th minute.

The advent of Lanachuba in the Central ranks provided some thrust to the Mumbai outfits forays in which striker Asif Jamal impressed with some telling runs on the left.

Jamal went close on two occasions, goalkeeper Balaji keeping ITI alive with a timely collection on the second as the match entered the last quarter.

ITI, it were, who could have dealt the killer blow with just 10 minutes to go but Prakash, attempting a second goal, lifted just over Khanolkar but a little wide off the post from substitute Peter’s cross.

The last chance fell to Central but goalkeepr Balaji’salertness thwarted the substitute’s volley at the expense of a corner.