Considering that there was little at stake, it was not a bad match at all. Kyrgyzstan and Sri Lanka inspired themselves, with the former finally prevailing 4-1 in the penultimate league match of the Nehru Cup football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Friday.
It was a match of little consequence once the All India Football Federation (AIFF) clarified that the head-to-head between teams tied on points would be considered rather than goal average. The media and surprisingly even the team managements were in the dark about this rule until the national federation realised the confusion all around and issued a statement.
“India have qualified for the finals on the basis of Article 6 (b) of the ONGC Nehru Cup international football tournament 2009. This clarification is issued to clear confusion on the above issue. The AIFF regrets the inconvenience caused,” it said in the statement.
As for the teams playing the match, they managed to focus on the game and Kyrgyzstan’s three-goal margin lifted it up on points table.
Kyrgyzstan displayed the kind of scoring ability not shown so far in the tournament, with Zemlianuhin Anton scoring in the 35th minute. Amirov Ildar consolidated the score at half-time even as Lanka failed to muster enough attacks.
Sri Lanka reduced the margin early in the second half when captain Chathura Maduranga found the mark.
India to test bench strength
The initial setback against Lebanon firmly behind them, India go into their last league match against Syria knowing it is a chance to try out the bench strength. Both teams have qualified for the final, which is a repeat of the last edition, when India beat Syria by a solitary goal.
But Syria have been the most impressive in the tournament so far, and India have a formidable task at hand. Though it will be interesting to see how much Syria tinker with their settled outfit,
India’s coach Bob Houghton made it clear that he would use the match as an opportunity to try out the bench.
