W Railways chug into semis

Reduced to nine men, WR defeated hosts RCF Sports Club in sudden death

MUMBAI: The last quarterfinal of the Nadkarni Cup was replete with drama as a nine man Western Railway defeated hosts and a 10-man RCF Sports Club in sudden death, after the match ended on a 1-1 draw at full-time. The match was marked by foul play from both sides, more notably Railway, whose win was an anti climax as it was RCF who held the upper hand during the match.

The above said drama was condensed in the latter half of the match, as the first half failed to yield any goals with the heavy rain making ground shots virtually impossible. With ankle high water on the field, mobility was restricted and the players had to resort to aerial shots which visibly expended their energy. Conditions too were partly responsible for the tempers that ran high throughout the match.

“The ground conditions were not good, and usually it is more tiring to play in pouring rain. You cannot move properly,” said the coach of Western Railway.

The second half of the match began with Sajid Ansari of Railways getting a red card. Despite being a player short, Railway were able to score first with a penalty in the 68th minute. But their joy was short-lived as Lawrence Dias from RCF Sports Club evened the score, eliciting a loud roar from the audience, who were here to cheer their home team.

Red card’s was handed out to Subhash Adilkar and Baleshwar Sharma from Railway and RCF respectively. Adilkar in particular was fortunate not to have received a red card earlier in the match, when after a failed attempt to score he tried to kick the goalkeeper.

A penalty shootout following a 1-1 score line after full time too ended in 3-3. Finally, it was left to goalkeeper Abdul Majeed who saved three penalties in succession to ensure a place in the semis.

“He has been with us for the last 18 years and can be counted as today’s saviour,” said the Railway coach. Western Railway play ONGC - a strong contender for the title - on the 3rd of August for a berth in the final. Tomorrow’s semi final match is between Air India and Central Railway at the RCF ground in Chembur.