Air India registers first win in I-League

Dec 18:  Airmen register their maiden victory in the I-League after four draws and one loss in the tournament. Air India has now 7 points at the end sixth round

A solitary second-half strike by Air India skipper Paresh Shivalkar, which later turned out to be a match winner, against not too impressive East Bengal helped his team to record their first victory out of six matches played in the ongoing ONGC I-League at the Cooperage ground here on Monday.

Shivalkar unleashed a stunning volley on the run into the net, in the 62nd minute keeping India’s best goalkeeper Subrata Pal stranded under the bar.

The match started on a sedate note but suddenly turned in to an electrifying encounter with East Bengal players launched flurry of onslaughts, lead by Alvito D’Cunha, whose well-measured left-footed passes and Mehtab Hossein searing runs charging down into the rival citadel for opening up spaces.

But Air India is always an altogether different side when they stepped into Cooperage ground against any team. All the players worked tirelessly to retain ball possession in the first half as the match went into the breather without any goal.

Airmen also had a psychological edge over their opponents as they had beaten them in the Durand Cup. “They lost to us in the Durand Cup and Samson Singh scored twice against them,” said Ghosh, which must have been surely playing on their minds.

Both sides matched each other in the fast-paced encounter but youth prevailed over experience at the end since the airmen’s better fitness guaranteed the chances, which came their way shouldn’t go easy at all.

The match-winning goal arrived in the 62nd minute of the game when Abbas managed to take along defender Mutath Suresh with him and Samson back passed it to charging Shivalkar.

Shivalkar was in perfect position and made no mistake in slamming the volley from just outside the box into the goal.