CHENNAI: The 1-0 scrap over Chennai Football Club lifted Tamil Nadu Police from the relegation zone of the St Joseph’s-Chennai Football Association Senior Division League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday. L Selva Michael’s 66th-minute goal stood between the teams, locked in an intense contest for survival.
The lone goal apart, there was little to chose between the relegation-zoners. The first half was more open, with both teams spurning chances in abundance. They took turns to dominate. The CFC side, missing their regular strikers, was wanted for finishing. They could have seized lead inside in the first ten minute when A Ezhilarasan supplied KV Gunasekar with a sumptuous through ball. But his execution was so feeble that Police’s custodian G Dhanasekhar parried it with ease. Similarly, Ezhilarasan kept their frontline busy, but nothing resulted in a goal, chiefly due to bizarre execution. He himself had a supreme opportunity to shoot from close range, but held onto the ball too long that S Yuvaraj made a timely clearance. And when Gunasekar finally found the target — a meaty long-range effort — Dhanasekhar came to TNP’s rescue with a fine block. He missed two other chances towards the end of 1st half, much to their frustration.
Though TNP were rather content with the deadlock, they had their own chances to go front. They thought they had when G Satish Kumar dabbed in a looping ball from point-blank range and the goalkeeper was off-balanced. But K Gopi came up with a last-ditch goal-line save.
The latter-half was more subdued, as chances came few and far between. Both missed a free-kick apiece from a comfortable range, before TNP scored in a swift counter. Right-winger Siva, their creative nerve, galloped down the right flank and set up Selva Michael, who comfortably completed the goal. Thereafter, TNP controlled the game without fuss. The three points took them from last (12th) to eighth, though they need to win at least one of their remaining two games (against RPF and Chennai Customs) to stave off relegation blues. CFC, now last on the table, have a formidable task of winning both their matches to remain in senior division.
