Pailan Arrows find mark, again in Federation Cup

Pailan Arrows garnered full points from their 2-1 win over Mumbai FC in a Group B tie of the 33rd Federation Cup football at the Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex in Balewadi on Tuesday.

With this win, the AIFF team have a total of six points and lead the group, while Mumbai FC have just one from their drawn
encounter against Salgaocar SC in their opener.

The opening few minutes turned out to be disastrous for Mumbai FC when their defender Kingsley Chioma, trying to avert an attack from opponents in the sixth minute, ended up putting the ball in his own goal.

Arrows’ Jibon Singh had centred the ball from the right wing. However, there were none of the Pailan strikers to receive it and
in a desperate attempt to clear the ball, Chioma found his own net.

CS Sabeeth’s grounder from over 30 yards cut the grass and swerved away from diving goalkeeper Ishan Debnath in the 53rd minute for Pailan Arrows’ second goal. PC Lalawmpula reduced the margin for Mumbai FC in the 79th minute.

The Pailan Arrows looked a better side compared to their rivals. The budding players were all fleet-footed and were able to control the ball better than the Mumbai side.

The manner the Arrows dominated the first half was a treat for the eyes. The one-twos, the long balls and the sudden long-rangers kept Mumbai FC guessing. Sabeeth and Ajay Singh interchanged between themselves and with Bijendra Rai and Jibon Singh to keep the flow of crosses from the flanks flowing, the Arrows bloomed as the match progressed.

Meanwhile, it was a prefect example of teamwork as Salgaocar Sports Club pulled out a 4-0 win over Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore, in their second Group B encounter in Pune.

The win boosted Salgaocar’s chances of making it to the knockout round with four points and a match to go. On the other hand, the Bangalore outfit are staring at the exit with their second defeat in as many matches.

“They played well and especially, the goals they scored, made me feel good,” said Salgaocar coach Karim Bencherifa. Giving the credit to all the members of the side, the Moroccan said that this performance was something he was expecting from his boys.

 “We played well against Mumbai FC but today they showed their actual talent. I am happy and look forward to the same against Pailan Arrows, which will decide their campaign in this season-opener,” said Bencherifa.

Meanwhile, HAL could not match their opponents’ charge upfront and in the defence, they looked pedestrian compared to their rivals. They made a few moves, but they were all in patches. In the end, all they could garner was four yellow cards.