AIMA-TFAa shield: David’s strike does it for ICF in final

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ICF are back with a bang. The powerhouse of Chennai football, who have seen their stocks plummet in recent years, proved their pedigree by winning the Aima-TFA Shield all-India football tournament on Sunday.

Riding on forward M. David’s strike, ICF defeated Kerala Police 1-0 in a fascinating final at the Nehru Stadium.

After the contest meandered along in the first-half, in which Kerala were decidedly better, the match turned on its head as soon as David found the back of the net in the 51st minute. A defensive error cost the visitors dearly.

ICF left-winger Santha Kumar showed exemplary anticipation and stole the ball from Kerala Police right-back Tinson near the sidelines. Without wasting any time, Santha set-up David with an astute diagonal pass that was emphatically buried in. Kerala Police goalkeeper Melbin, who got a start ahead of first-choice custodian Vinshob, was helplessly stranded at the far post.

In a little while, the holiday crowd which had come in droves rose in unison to greet their evergreen hero I.M. Vijayan who replaced Kerala’s guilty party Tinson. The former Indian star did not disappoint his fans. Vijayan immediately made his presence felt with a low, right-footed shot that kissed the far post before flying out of play.

Kerala, who went for broke with three forwards, tried everything at their disposal in search of an equaliser. They went agonisingly close on a couple of occasions. Vijayan set up his teammates substitute Prashanth and Firoz with sublime passes. However, the young duo failed to do justice to the icon’s perception.

It was left-winger Jipson who spilled Kerala’s best chance with 15 minutes left on the clock. Following a melee inside the penalty box, Jipson had the ball at his feet. With the target at his mercy, the Kerala player hit woefully wide. There was more drama to follow in the dying minutes.

Referee Srikrishna, who had an outstanding game, disallowed Firoz’s goal scored through a header. The referee was spot on as Firoz had clearly pushed ICF left-back Jegan to get to the ball.

ICF, who played with a lot of heart, thoroughly deserve the title. Coach P. Thulasi was ecstatic. “This victory is huge for all of us because we believed we can do it. The start for the season has been good and I am sure the team would only go on to get better,” he said.

David, who scored in every match from the quarterfinals, was adjudged man of the tournament, while ICF right-back Suman Raj was named man of the match. For ICF, right-winger Kamesh also had a superb game.

Result: Final: ICF 1 (David 51) bt Kerala Police 0.

Hindustan football

A football tournament for foreign students in Chennai will launch the Hindustan University sports festival on Monday. Foreign students studying in Chennai colleges will be turning out for their respective countries in the unique event. So far, 10 teams have confirmed their participation. Later, an inter-college volleyball tournament for boys and girls will be conducted.