It’s Railways vs UP
It was a battle between the experienced and the aspiring. Big boys Air India were stunned by the fresh legs from Railway Sports Promotion Board 6-4 as the latter entered the final of the Men’s Senior Nationals competition being held at the Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune, yesterday.
From what looked like a one-sided affair, the match turned into a thriller by the end of 60 minutes. The 10-goal thriller brought out the drama that was missing in this competition so far. It was Air India that took the early lead but the Rail-men came back strongly to post four quick goals to make it 4-1. Air India fought back to draw parity but two more goals from Railways meant that they sealed the final berth with a 6-4 score-line.
Fifty per cent of Railways goals were scored by Central Railway and India forward Yuvraj Walmiki. The Mumbai-lad, delighted by the hattrick said he was only enjoying his time on the field. Ably supported by Affan Yusuf and Talwinder Singh, Yuvraj not only combined well with the two, but also struck at every given opportunity.
“Was let down by the defence. The only hope I saw was when the team fought back to draw levels at 4-4, but then two quick goals and we were virtually out,” Air India coach Dhanraj Pillay said analyzing the match after the game.
For Railways coach Sunil Kumar it is redemption time. In 2000, Sunil was a member of the Railways team that lost the final to Indian Airlines in Jammu Nationals. “Fifteen years later it is time to redeem that missed opportunity. I hope the team does well to reclaim the title after 17 years,” said Sunil, who was also part of the squad that won the title in Bangalore Nationals in 1998.
In the second semi-final, Hockey Gangpur-Odisha walked onto the pitch as favourites and walked out dejected after their 0-3 loss to Hockey Uttar Pradesh. Gangpur, winners of last year’s Division B, seemed lost on field.
Former international Rajneesh Mishra-coached side Uttar Pradesh maintained the pressure on Gangpur right from the word go. Uttar Pradesh goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan was never challenged by the Gangpur frontline. It was mainly the short passes that left the strong-in-defensive Gangpur out of ideas. Mishra had very clear instructions for his boys. “Hold the ball. Don’t attack too much, but only when you see an opportunity to score,” Mishra said, revealing his strategy.
Tomorrow, Air India will play Gangpur for the third place at 1.30 pm, and Railways will clash with Uttar Pradesh for the Men’s Senior Nationals crown at 3.30 pm.
RESULTS: Railways 6 (Malak Singh 28th Yuvraj Walmiki 30th, 35th, 54th, Amit Rohidas 44th, 52nd) beat Air India 4 (Gaganpreet Singh 17th, Sameer Dad 40th, Vikram Pillay 45th, Arjun Halappa 47th). HT: 2-1. Uttar Pradesh 3 (Sunil Yadav 11th, 32nd, 44th) beat Gangpur, Odisha 0. HT: 1-0. Tuesday’s fixtures: Third place play-off: Air India v Gangpur, Odisha (1.30 pm) Final: Railways v Uttar Pradesh (3.30 pm
From what looked like a one-sided affair, the match turned into a thriller by the end of 60 minutes. The 10-goal thriller brought out the drama that was missing in this competition so far. It was Air India that took the early lead but the Rail-men came back strongly to post four quick goals to make it 4-1. Air India fought back to draw parity but two more goals from Railways meant that they sealed the final berth with a 6-4 score-line.
Fifty per cent of Railways goals were scored by Central Railway and India forward Yuvraj Walmiki. The Mumbai-lad, delighted by the hattrick said he was only enjoying his time on the field. Ably supported by Affan Yusuf and Talwinder Singh, Yuvraj not only combined well with the two, but also struck at every given opportunity.
Air India alone cannot blamed for this defeat. With the match starting right under the sun at 1.30 pm, the heat was too much for them. The Railway counters smoldered the experience of aging airmen. There were sparks of brilliance from veteran Sameer Dad, workhorse Vikram Pillay and acrobatic Adrian D’Souza. But these were not enough.
“Was let down by the defence. The only hope I saw was when the team fought back to draw levels at 4-4, but then two quick goals and we were virtually out,” Air India coach Dhanraj Pillay said analyzing the match after the game.
For Railways coach Sunil Kumar it is redemption time. In 2000, Sunil was a member of the Railways team that lost the final to Indian Airlines in Jammu Nationals. “Fifteen years later it is time to redeem that missed opportunity. I hope the team does well to reclaim the title after 17 years,” said Sunil, who was also part of the squad that won the title in Bangalore Nationals in 1998.
In the second semi-final, Hockey Gangpur-Odisha walked onto the pitch as favourites and walked out dejected after their 0-3 loss to Hockey Uttar Pradesh. Gangpur, winners of last year’s Division B, seemed lost on field.
Former international Rajneesh Mishra-coached side Uttar Pradesh maintained the pressure on Gangpur right from the word go. Uttar Pradesh goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan was never challenged by the Gangpur frontline. It was mainly the short passes that left the strong-in-defensive Gangpur out of ideas. Mishra had very clear instructions for his boys. “Hold the ball. Don’t attack too much, but only when you see an opportunity to score,” Mishra said, revealing his strategy.
Tomorrow, Air India will play Gangpur for the third place at 1.30 pm, and Railways will clash with Uttar Pradesh for the Men’s Senior Nationals crown at 3.30 pm.
RESULTS: Railways 6 (Malak Singh 28th Yuvraj Walmiki 30th, 35th, 54th, Amit Rohidas 44th, 52nd) beat Air India 4 (Gaganpreet Singh 17th, Sameer Dad 40th, Vikram Pillay 45th, Arjun Halappa 47th). HT: 2-1. Uttar Pradesh 3 (Sunil Yadav 11th, 32nd, 44th) beat Gangpur, Odisha 0. HT: 1-0. Tuesday’s fixtures: Third place play-off: Air India v Gangpur, Odisha (1.30 pm) Final: Railways v Uttar Pradesh (3.30 pm
