FCI almost secure safety with Police win

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Food Corporation of India (FCI) took a giant step towards preserving their place in the Chennai Football Association senior division league with a superb 2-0 win over Tamil Nadu Police in a playoff here on Thursday.

Fine goals from M. Saravana Kumar and Hari Krishnan on either side of the break earned FCI a thoroughly deserving result at the Nehru Stadium.

Police will face Central Excise on Friday in the three-team playoff to determine the second club that will join the already-relegated Chennai FC in the first division next season.

A loss will shut the door on Police and render the final tie between Excise and FCI on Saturday unnecessary.

FCI played with great spirit. They took the game to their opponents from the first whistle. Left-winger Saravana Kumar caused plenty of problems to the Police defence with his probing runs. Fittingly, it was the lanky player who put FCI ahead with a memorable strike in the 31st minute.

After initiating the attack from the middle, he stormed to the left to receive forward A. Dilip Kumar’s return pass. Saravana Kumar smashed the ball in with a booming right-footer.

The emphatic finish calmed the nerves of the FCI bench.

FCI were lucky that Dilip didn’t go for glory himself because scoring goals wasn’t his forte. He is one of the worst finishers in the league.

Dilip should either change his position or sport to do something noteworthy. The forward had a golden opportunity to double the lead early in the second half but he allowed a defender to clear the ball by delaying his shot unnecessarily.

Hari Krishnan, FCI’s other forward, wasn’t so wasteful. He showed admirable composure to score the insurance goal by the hour mark. Dynamic midfielder L. Charles Anandaraj intercepted a Police pass and booted the ball up field.

Hari gained possession after holding off a Police defender and drilled the ball home from the right. Game, set and match for FCI.

Nobody in the sparse crowd would begrudge the result because it was the least the hard-working FCI deserved. FCI proved that their 3-0 win over TNP in the league was no fluke. Saravana Kumar, who had opened the account on that occasion, tormented Police once again.

FCI central defenders R. Shivapriyan and Antony Manuel were outstanding throughout. Shouting instructions non-stop, Shivapriyan inspired his team-mates to give their best. He was FCI’s leader on the pitch. Antony worked his heart out to snuff out danger.

On the evidence of their anaemic performance against FCI, Police have a fight on their hands to secure safety. The truth is the policemen can’t shoot.

Even though they aren’t experts in other departments, what is hurting them most is poor finishing. Forward K. Ramanan’s pathetic season continued as he missed two sharp chances. Make-shift striker N. Dhanasekaran was no better as he, too, fired blanks.
Action today: Central Excise vs TNP (4 pm).