Mahindra United made the best
of disjointed FC Kochin

S Ayyappa Swamy

It is now clearly evident. It is not I M Vijayan, not the five Liberians who are the mainstays of F C Kochin, but none other than Jo Paul Ancheri. Take him away and what do you get? The spine of the side collapses like a deck of cards.

That is what happened to the southern outfit against Mahindra United in a home match on Wednesday. Not only did they lose by a whopping 0-4 margin, but also ended up registering a third loss on the trot, the second back-to-back at home.

It must also be said that three of the Liberians were missing due to suspensions. But credit must go the Bombay outfit, which managed to turn around a losing three-match sequence in thumping fashion. None of their frontline strikers got the goals, which eventually came from Shamsy Raza, defender Bernard Operanozie (2) and Syed Hussain.

Coach Shabbir Ali must have heaved a huge sigh of relief. He can only hope that his boys continue their good work when they take on debutants Vasco at home on All Fools Day.

Kochin's loss means that they have been displaced from the No. 2 spot to No. 3 for the first time in the 5th National Football League. After the first two rounds, they were the league-leaders, albeit on goal-difference.

The side now moving into second place, behind current No.1 East Bengal, is none other than Mohun Bagan. A win over Air-India at home, combined with East Bengal's 2-2 escape act against JCT, means there is just four points separating the two Calcutta giants.

Mohun Bagan won an acrimonious tie with Air-India, by a solitary goal margin. This was their first match without the topscoring R C Prakash, and substitute striker Amar Ganguly could not really match the efforts of livewire Jose Barretto. Eventually the same combination got Mohun Bagan the goal with an unmarked Ganguly nodding home a clever pass from Barretto.

At least half-dozen players deserved to be sent out with red cards. And none more than Debjit Ghosh. The position he plays in -- defensive screen -- means he has to go for many hard tackles. But when he transgresses the dividing line and goes into foul tackling, it is the duty of the referee to pull him. Despite much pushing and haranguing, the referee Pradeep Das did not flinch and kept his hands firmly away from the pockets.

East Bengal owe it much to their Nigerian striker Omolaja Olalekan for saving them from disgrace. His long-ranger saw the Red and Golden brigade escape with a draw against Jagatjit Cotton Textile Mills, Phagwara, and set a new record for remaining unbeaten. The new tally now stands at 14 after East Bengal bested Kochin’s record of 13, set in this NFL. Kochin will still continue to be credited for the record for not losing a single match from the first match.

East Bengal's only loss came at the hands of Indian Telephone Industries, on December 18 last year, and that was when Syed Nayeemuddin was in the saddle. Now it is, of course, Manoranjan Bhattacharyya, the former India player.

Two other hosts lost their matches in the 16th round. One was the difficult-to-nail State Bank of Travancore, who lost to the equally-difficult-to-dislodge Tollygunge Aggragami 0-1 at Thiruvananthapuram.

In Bangalore, Uzbeki striker Igor Shkvrin, a mere passenger for most of the match, capitalized on a defensive lapse to help Churchill Brothers defeat Indian Telephone Industries 2-1. The match was heading for a draw when Shkvrin struck his seventh goal. Francis Silveira had earlier neutralized the effort of G. Prakash.

Vasco and Salgoacar have not completed their 16th round matches as the Goa stadium is being readied for the one-day cricket tie between India and Australia on April 6. The next match at the Fatorda stadium is scheduled on April 8, between Salgoacar and Churchill Brothers.

Best goal: Omolaja Olalekan’s long-ranger for East Bengal against JCT.
Best match: East Bengal drawing 2-2 with JCT, at Calcutta.
Disappointment: Air-India continuing to make a hash of their chances, this time against Mohun Bagan.
Great Escape: East Bengal just about managing to draw against JCT, in Calcutta.

Results of the 16th round:
Mohun Bagan beat Air-India 1-0, at Calcutta
SBT lost to Tollygunge Aggragami 0-1, at Thiruvananthapuram
East Bengal drew with JCT 2-2, at Calcutta
F C Kochin lost to Mahindra United 0-4, at Kochi
ITI lost to Churchill Brothers 1-2, at Bangalore

Coming matches:
March 31: Mohun Bagan vs. JCT, at Calcutta; SBT vs. ITI; F C Kochin vs. Salgaocar;
April 1: East Bengal vs. Air-India, at Calcutta; Mahindra United vs. Vasco, at Bombay.

Related reports:
FC Kochin lead National Football League race
F C Kochin stay ahead
Salgaocar close in on early leaders
Mohun Bagan well-placed after five rounds
Air India, Mahindra in a spot - Summary of Round 6
East Bengal high in the saddle - Summary of Round 7
East Bengal on top for second week - Summary of Round 8
Three in close race - Summary of Round 9
Prakash's hat-trick high point of Round 10
Bungo Singh, R C Prakash steal the limelight
F C Kochin stay unbeaten, but just about
Upsets aplenty in Round 13 of NFL
ITI win 14th round honours
East Bengal widen lead at the top