IB, AGORC move up
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Indian Bank have set up a quarterfinal clash with AGORC in the Aima-TFA Shield all-India football tournament. While the bank team downed President XI 2-0, AGORC scored an authoritative 3-0 win over Pune FC (U-19) at the Nehru Stadium here on Monday.
Driven by the clinical functioning of midfielder L. Stegin and the stylish forward, Vinoth Kumar, AGORC found their bearings after the break.
All three goals of AGORC were scored in the second half. It was only appropriate that the two best players on the pitch combined to put their team ahead.
Vinoth outran his marker in anticipation of Stegin’s cross from the far left. With half the job done, Vinoth rose handsomely to beat Pune FC goalie Sarif Molla with a powerful header. Stegin’s assist was worth its weight in gold.
Within a few minutes, AGORC doubled their lead through a lucky goal gifted by Pune’s centre-back Riyan Yadgiri. The defender put the ball into his own net while trying to clear a harmless cross from Vinoth.
AGORC’s superstar P. Muthu came off the bench late in the second-half and immediately showcased his class.
Running along the touchline, Muthu just had a quick glance before firing in a flat cross which was duly converted by Gowridhasan. The superb delivery reinforced Muthu’s peerless intuition.
The visiting team’s attack never took off as AGORC defended with gusto. The U-20 I-League winners, on this day, looked anything but a champion side.
Earlier, Indian Bank scored a rather unimpressive win against paper tigers — President XI. The match, which started on a brisk note, turned out to be a false dawn with the contest falling flat after the interval.
After a President XI’s goal was disallowed for handball in the opening exchanges, IB were able to break the logjam through their striker R. Karthik in the 15th minute.
A straightforward aerial cross by playmaker P. Karthik from the right was re-laid by Ivory Coast striker Doumbia Mamodou in front of the goalmouth. R. Karthik smartly seized the opportunity to head in his team’s first.
The second goal, which was identical to the opener, came through a set-piece. On this occasion, two substitutes — A. Tamilarasan and H. Edwin Sydney — joined forces to find the target. President XI, boasting quality players such as A. Reagan, M. Devaraj, A. Aseem, R. Shivapriyan, et al, failed to justify their collective strength. The closest they ever came to hitting back was when Reagan missed the target by inches and Devaraj’s close-range attempt was thwarted by the crossbar.
Results: Indian Bank 2 (R. Karthik 15; Sydney 90) bt President XI 0. MoM: P. Karthik. AGORC 3 (Vinoth 58; Riyan Yadgiri 63 (OG); Gowridhasan 73) bt Pune FC 0. MoM: Vinoth Kumar.
Action today: QF: Customs vs RCF Kapurthala (4pm). Southern Railway vs Kerala Poilce (6pm).
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