Amigos FC v Decathlon FC
Score: Amigos FC (6) – (1) Decathlon FC
Scorers
Amigos FC (Kumar Dante 27’, Uday Kumar 38’, 54’, 56’; Akhil Kesla 46’,56’)
Decathlon FC (Sultan Barnes 60’)
Amigos turned up the heat in the second half to cause a big upset when they beat Decathlon FC 6-1. This win for Amigos, coupled with Engineers United also picking up three points, has made the race for the final promotion spot interesting, with four teams in the battle. The game started off slowly with neither team able to break down each other’s defence and it looked like it was headed for a low scoring draw before Amigos found the opener in the 28th minute when Kumar Dante converted from the penalty spot.
Decathlon were missing a major chunk of their players including the famed attacking duo of Vijoy Nair and Benoit Lebail who were sorely missed. Although the Decathlon defence held up well for the first half of the game the second half was a different story with the Amigos attacking and Uday Kumar picking up a hat trick and a well-deserved man of the match award.
Akhil Kesla also got in on the action, picking up a brace. Sultan Barnes scored in the 60th minute for Decathlon but it was nothing more than a consolation goal, with the result of the game already decided.
Amigos have become a model team and have laid the blueprint for other teams seeking improvement over the season. Their constant practice sessions have helped them create an understanding on the pitch and are now a force to deal with.
Decathlon’s unbeaten record now comes to an end but with Jain University also dropping points they retain their position in the top three. Their next fixture is against Bangalore City FC and they will have to bring their ‘A’ Game if they are get anything from it.
Man of the Match: Uday Kumar (Amigos FC)
Bangalore Kop v Joga Bonito
Score: Bangalore Kop (3) – (5) Joga Bonito
Scorers
Bangalore Kop (Avin B 21’, 33’; Arun K 30’)
Joga Bonito (Kiran Kumar 15’, 23’, 39’, 58’; Ameen Khan 42’)
Joga Bonito picked up a much-needed win when they came up against bottom dwellers Bangalore Kop. The 8-goal thriller was a roller coaster ride with both sides taking the lead before Joga eventually took control of the game. Kiran Kumar was the star player of the match scoring four goals for Joga Bonito and picking up the man of the award.
The game started off slowly with both teams not wanting to concede the opening goal but a mistake from the Kop defence saw Kiran Kumar run at an open goalkeeper before slotting home the opener in the 15th minute. However, Kop responded well and Avin found the equaliser 6 minutes later to bring his side on level terms.
They couldn’t keep the score that way and Kiran Kumar of Joga found the back of the net to restore his side’s lead, which was once again short lived with Arun K of Kop finding another equaliser on the stroke of half-time. This match had all the makings of a topsy-turvy encounter and it didn’t disappoint with Kop taking the lead after half-time and looked the better side.
However, Joga found the resilience to turn things around and scored 3 goals in the second half to turn the game on its head. Ameen Khan put in a good performance for Joga to compliment Kiran Kumar’s four-goal outing, handing Joga its first win of the season.
Kop were unlucky not to get a point from this game and now face an almost impossible task of getting out of the bottom three. With 5 games remaining, they will be hoping for a miracle.
Man of the Match: Kiran Kumar (Joga Bonito)
Oldmans Park v Vipers FC
Score: Oldmans Park (2) – (2) Vipers FC
Scorers
Oldmans Park (Michael O 56’,58’)
Vipers FC (Shane Mark 20’, Rithaj V 30’)
Vipers FC dropped crucial points against Oldmans Park and are now out of the race for the third promotion spot. Oldmans on the other hand picked up a vital point in their fight for safety but will be brooding over the fact that they could have picked up all three points.
With Joga Bonito winning their game, Oldmans’ task has become much harder as they look to move out of the red zone. Their performance against Vipers was indicative of their never give up attitude which should come in handy with 5 games to go.
The game started off with Vipers in control as they dominated possession and it only seemed a matter of time before they scored. An error in judgment from the Oldmans keeper saw Shane Mark open the scoring for Vipers in the 20th minute before new signing Rithaj V doubled their lead just before the half-time whistle. The course of the game changed when Salim V of Vipers FC was sent off and Oldmans changed strategy to take advantage of the situation.
With four minutes to go and a two-goal advantage, Vipers almost held off Oldmans with only 10 men, but a loss of concentration saw them concede a goal in the 56th minute and two minutes later, Michael O scored his second for the day to bring back Oldmans to level terms.
Things could have got worse for Vipers when Adil Katrak won back possession in a dangerous area but could not find the right pass and there the game ended 2-2.
Man of the Match: Michael O (Oldmans Park)
Bangalore City FC v Bull Ring AFC
Score: Bangalore City FC (1) – (0) Bull Ring AFC
Scorers
Bangalore City FC (Hassan B 48’)
Bull Ring AFC put in an impressive performance to almost spoil the best-laid plans of Bangalore City FC, but the latter pulled through when second half substitute Hassan scored the only goal of the game in the 48th minute. Coach Bo was missing on the sidelines for BCFC along with some key players like Seye Kire and Alassane Kanadji, but credit must be given to Bull Ring and their manager Dominic Vijay, who carried out their plan to perfection (well, almost).
Bull Ring played with 5 at the back and the usually rampant BCFC attack failed to break them down. Abhishek M, playing a central role in defence, was key in keeping out the attackers, with everyone in the team tracking back and sticking to their strategy. Pritam Maiti, who is usually effective on the flank for BCFC, found it hard to make any inroads and was often crowded out while Klery Lemene and Helius B faltered with the ball at their feet.
Bull Ring missed a golden chance when substitute Chirag B made a solid run on the flank beating two defenders but could only manage to hit the woodwork and the BCFC keeper Joe Mutu did enough to take care of the rebound.
BCFC woke up after that close encounter and took charge of the game and found it in themselves to push on to find that elusive goal. Although BCFC haven’t conceded a goal yet in the season, this should be a wake up to call for them, with only goal difference separating them with Sunday Boys at the top of the table.
Bull Ring on the other hand are a much-improved team and even though they aren’t out of relegation danger yet, they are unlikely to go the rest of the season without picking up another win.
Man of the Match: Abhishek M (Bull Ring AFC)
Sunday Boys v Phoenix FC
Score: Sunday Boys (22) – (1) Phoenix FC
Scorers
Sunday Boys (Chandan Prathap 1’,15,39’; Hason Khaleeli 8’,21,; Shane Kurain 11’; Suhas SN 17’, 51’,54’,60’; Shamanth Gowda 22’,27’; Hari A 28’; Gowri Shankar 32’,40’,50’; Govardhan Gowda 35’,53,55’; Like S 45’; Cavin S 48’,58’)
Phoenix FC (Ravi Chandran 34’)
Sunday Boys set a TAL record for most number of goals in a match when they beat Phoenix FC 22-1. The game started off with Chandan Prathap opening the scoring in the 1st minute to open the floodgates and there was no looking back after that as they scored at will. Sunday Boys now take pole position in the table from Bangalore City FC albeit only on goal difference.
Four players from Sunday Boys picked up hat-tricks – Chandan Prathap, Suhas SN, Gowri Shankar and Govardhan Gowda – to set another TAL record for most number of hat-tricks in a game. Sunday keeper Hari A also got in on the action and took part in a play, which saw him run from his end to the opposition to score a goal.
With such bold moves, you can expect downfalls too and when the keeper was caught out of position with the ball at his feet, Phoenix managed to nick one goal back. Even though it didn’t make a difference to the result, Sunday Boys conceded a goal, which they hadn’t done all season long.
Phoenix now drop into the red zone and have put themselves in a dangerous position with only 5 games to go. With this result affecting their goal difference, they will need to pick up wins and not draws if they are to survive the drop. Sunday Boys sit top of the table now and are patiently waiting for their clash against BCFC in GW 10 but any complacency between now and then could see them drop down again.
Man of the Match: Gowri Shankar (Sunday Boys)
