MAHINDRA AVENGES LAST YEAR DEFEAT

07.09.2008:Glittering under the floodlights with crowd flocking in the cool evening Ambedkar Stadium was ready for the 121st Osian’s Durand Cup grand finale. Mahindra United the hot favorites clashed with the goan giants Churchill Brothers and defeated them with a scoreline of 3-2. As expected the match started in high voltage from the beginning Mahindra United was in attacking mode but could not capitalize the chances. In the 11th minute Robert Lalthlamuana got a free ball in the left side which he netted. Mahindra United were not down, they went full out stretching the Churchill’s defence. Relentless attack from Mahindra opened the gates for them. Two brilliant goals from Edeh Chidi in the 19th minute and 32nd minute took them in front. In the second half Mahindra United went to a defensive strategy, having a goal cushion in their favour. This gave Churchill a lot of space to play with. In the 87th minute, their perseverance paid off when Savio Monteiro headed a goal assisted by Odafa. The scoreline was 2-2 after the 90minutes. The match went to extra time. Through K Thoi Singh goal in the 99th minute Mahindra United scored won the match

MAHINDRA UNITED: 1-Subhashish Roy Chowdhury; 16-Sunil Kumar, 14-D. Ravanan, 21-Justin Stephen, 4-K.N.Ajayan; 7-Sushanth Mathew, 17-Sukhwinder Singh (28-Sushil Kumar Singh), 19-Izumi Arata (15-K.Thoi Singh), 29-Djidjia Douhou , 11-Md. Rafi (8-Paresh Shivalkar), 10-Chidi Edeh CHURCHILL BROTHERS: 29-Arindam Bhattacharya; 4-Rowilson Rodrigues, 6-GovinSingh, 19-Gouramangi Singh, 17-Robert Lalthalmuana (22-Jason Vales); 30-Jugeshor Singh (15-C.Chandam Singh), 9-Ogba Kalu , 37-Ashley Fernandes, 11-Khemtang Paite, 14-Nicolas Rodrigues (32-Savio Monteiro), 10-Odafe Okolie

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Churchill Brothers move into the finals

05.09.2008:Goa giants, Churchill Brothers and Sporting Club de Goa logged horns in the second Semifinals of the 121st Osian’s Durand Cup. Churchill Brothers defeated Sporting Club de Goa with a scoreline of 3-0 in the penalty shootout. In the first half both the teams tried to break the shackle of the opponents defence but the final touch was missing in the script. The scoreline remained 0-0 during the lemon break. In the second half of the match both the teams tried to start from where they left. With Churchill captain Odafa falling short of expectations. Second half ended with both the teams tied on 0-0. The closest Churchill came to scoring was at 100th min when Khangtang Paite came up with a 35 yard shot but was saved by Sporting goalkeeper extra time finished off. Sporting didn’t manage to score even a single goal in the penalty shootout with Bishweshwor Singh, N Singh and Micky Fernandes missing three golden opportunities. Whereas Odafa, Ogba Kalu Nnanna and Warun Deep of Churchill Brothers managed to convert for their side. The final scoreline was 3-0.

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Mahindra United move into the finals

04.09.2008:The first semifinal in the ongoing 121st Osian’s Durand Cup, JCT the king of Northern India clashed with the Mumbai giants Mahindra United. Mahindra United defeated JCT Mills with a final scoreline of 2-1. Initial 45 minutes saw Mahindra United and JCT attacking. It was pretty clear that pace of the game has increased compared to the Quarterfinal league. JCT being the favorites of the crowd managed to score a stunning goal in the 43rd minute by Eduardo Da Silva taking the corner and Balwant Singh Jr. coming with a reverse kick after reflect from Subhashish Roy ( Mahindra United goalkeeper). In the second half Mahindra United continued their attacking game. Edeh Chidi missed two consecutive golden opportunities in the 68th and 69th minute. The equalizer came from Mahindra United in the 71st minute by Paresh Shivalkar through a corner. The game was headding for a draw but Edeh Chidi had came with a scorcher at the 90th minute, thus ending all hopes for JCT coach Sukhvinder to qualify for the finals.

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Mahindra book berth in Semis

02.09.2008:In the ongoing 121st Osian’s Durand Cup Quarterfinal league Army XI defeated Mumbai FC with a scoreline of 1-0. In the other match of the day Churchill Brothers and Mahindra United posted a draw 1-1. In the first match of the day Army XI began with an edge over Mumbai FC. In the first half, the Army XI played quick moves and scored the first goal of the match in the 37th minute by S.Releng. Meanwhile, Mumbai FC had some hard luck and they lost scoring opportunities. In the second half both the teams couldn’t score any goal. The final scoreline remained 1-0. The other game of the day saw Churchill brothers pitted against Mahindra United. Both the teams showed superior quality of play from the very beginning. The first session of the play belonged to the goans. Reisangmi Vashum of Churchill Brothers scored the first goal of the match in the 8th minute itself. The second session saw a much more spirited Mahindra United. In the 75th minute of the match Edeh Chidi of Mahindra United scored a goal. The match was a draw with a final scoreline of 1-1. Tomorrow :Rest day 4th September:Semi-finals I :6:30pm:JCT Mills VS. Mahindra United 5th September<: Semi- finals6:30 pm:Churchill Brothers VS. Sporting Goa

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Sporting Clube De Goa 3-0 TFA

01.09.2008:A hat-trick from Thoudam Singh confirmed the semifinal berth for Sporting in the ongoing 121st Osian's Durand Cup. The young brigade of TFA who had a great showing in the tournament had no answers for Thoudam. Thoudam netted a hattrick (39',57',66') to steer sporting to an emphatic 3-0 victory over TFA. Goals:3-0 Thoudam Singh (39',57',66') JCT 1 – 0 Air India In the second match of the day JCT had an relative easy 90 mins, though without there top two strikers won the match with a single goal margin. Goal was score on 70th min by Baldeep Singh.

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Churchill booked their semi final berth in Durand Cup

31.08.2008: Defending champions Churchill Brothers became the second team to book Durand Cup semi-final berth . Today Churchill Brothers defeated Army XI 1-0 and now top Group I with 6 points after the second round of matches. Ogba Kalu of Churchill Brothers scored in the 41st minute. In the other match Last years Runners-up Mahindra United were held 1-1 by city rivals Mumbai FC in the quarter-final league match. Today Mahindra United took an early lead in the 4th minute through Mohammed Rafi's strike. In the injury time first half, Mumbai FC has got a chance to equalise when Aseem K was brought down in the penalty box. Referee Dinesh Nair didn’t hesitate to give a penalty in favour of Mumbai F.C and Felix made no mistakle.

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TFA go down to JCT and Air India lost to Sporting Goa

30.08.2008:In the ongoing 121st Osian’s Durand Cup Quarterfinal League day three JCT went past TFA with a scoreline 3-1. In the second match Sporting Club De Goa defeated Air India by 1-0. The first match of the day saw JCT Mills pitted against TFA. A much more spirited display could be seen from both the teams. The first goal of the match came in the 19th minute by Niroshon Mani of TFA. But JCT boys were not far behind, a quick equalizer came from Balwant Singh in the 20th minute itself. The scoreline remained 1-1 at the lemon break. In the second half some serious efforts were made by TFA to increase their scoreline, but they were dispirited when JCT Mills struck twice again through Eduardo Da Silve and Baldeep Singh in the 49th and 65th minute of play respectively. In the second match Sporting Club De Goa posted a win over Air India 1-0. In the first half of the match both the teams played very well but it was hard luck as both the teams couldn’t convert any chance into goal. The teams were locked 0-0 during the lemon break. As the second session of play progressed, a lot of aggression was evident. But the first blood of the match was drawn in the 85th minute by Anthony D’souza of Sporting Club De Goa. Churchill and Mahindra have it easy 29.08.2008:In the ongoing 121st Osian’s Durand Cup Quarterfinal league Mahindra United defeated Army XI with a scoreline of 3-0. In the other match of the day Churchill Brothers defeated Mumbai FC with 3-1 score. In the first match of the day Mahindra United began their 121st Osian's-Durand Cup Quarterfinal league campaign with an edge over Army XI. In the first half, the Mahindra boys played quick moves and scored the first goal of the match in the 38th minute by Mohammed Rafi. Two minutes later Mahindra United earned another goal as Eden Chidi scored in the 40th minute. Meanwhile, Army XI had some hard luck when they lost a couple of scoring opportunities. In the second half Donhous Pieree increased the tally in the 50th minute. The final scoreline remained 3-0. The other game of the day saw Churchill brothers pitted against Mumbai FC. The Churchill players showed superior quality of play from the very beginning. The first session of the play totally belonged to the goans. Odafe Okolie of Churchill Brothers scored two goals in the 32nd minute and 44th minute. The second session saw a much more spirited Churchill team which mounted regular attacks on their rival goal post. In the 71st minute of the match Savio Monteiro of Churchill Brothers scored a goal. Neol Wilson of Mumbai FC could convert only one goal in the 77th minute. The final scoreline was 3-1. JCT cruises past Sporting Club-De-Goa 28.08.2008:TFA 0 – 0 Air India Resilient Tata Football academy held Air – India to a goalless draw in the first encounter of 121st Osian's Durand Cup, Quarter final league matches. Played under the sultry weather both teams lacked the finishing touch and couldn't convert the chances JCT 3 – 1 Sporting Clube-De-Goa Second match of the day was between sporting club de goa and JCT Phagwara which JCT won comprehensively. Though a goal down within 12 mins from the start JCT came back hard and finished off the game 3-1 with Goals at 23rd min by Baljit Sahani, 29th min by Pawan Kumar with a fine cross from Edu and third goal by Baldeep Singh finished of all the hopes for the goan outfit for a equalizer. Goan mid field were able to create chances but couldn't convert them which led to there loss. Army XI moved into Quarterfinals 26.08.2008:In the ongoing 121st Osian’s- Durand Cup Pre-quarterfinal round Army XI defeated Osian’s New Delhi Heroes with a score of 2-1. In the second match of the day Assam Rifles outplayed ASC Centre, Bangalore with scoreline of 3-0. The first half of the match was very absorbing as Osian’s New Delhi Heroes played very well. The first goal of the match was scored by Manish Khatri of Osian’s N D Heroes in the 36th minute. In the second half of the match Army XI started in an aggressive mode and came with an equalizer in the 66th minute. Army XI captain M.G.Ramachandran finished off the game with a winning goal in th 80th minute. In the second match of the day Assam Rifle kept their dominance from the very beginning to the end by defeating the counter part ASC Centre, Bangalore 3-0. The first goal of the match came in the 32nd minute by Meikengai Kumai of Assam Rifles. In the second half Akum Ao of Assam Rifles scored the goal in the 72nd minute and Santa Singh sealed the match with a goal scored in the 87th minute with a final scoreline of 3-0. TFA young brigade marches to quarterfinal league 25.08.2008:ONGC defeated BSF with a scoreline of 2-1 in the ongoing 121st Osian’s-Durand Cup Pre- quarterfinals. The other match saw TFA getting the better of Salgaocar with a 2-0 win. In the first match of the day both BSF and ONGC played some quality football from the very beginning Kamal Kishore of BSF scored the first goal of the match in the 8th minute. But Tarif Ahmed of ONGC sealed the match with his two goals at 32nd minute and 50th minute. The other match of the day was equally absorbing as both the teams TFA and Salgaocar pitted against each other. The first half of the match remained goalless as both the teams wanted supremacy in midfield to control the game. The first goal of the match came from Jagtar Singh of TFA in the 58th minute. TFA again got lucky when B.Deepak converted the opportunity into a goal to give his team the much sought after lead in the 68th minute. TFA in the end won the match by 2-0. Tomorrow’s Match 2PM:Osian’s New Delhi Heroes VS. Army XI 4PM:Assam Rifles VS ASC Centre, Bnagalore NDH thrashes ASC Centre, Bangalore 24.08.2008: In the ongoing 121st Osian’s Durand Cup Pre- Quarterfinal League Osian’s New Delhi Heroes thumped ASC Centre, Bangalore with a win of 6-1. In the other match of the day Army XI defeated Assam Rifles 2-0. Four goals from Nagen inspired Osian’s New Delhi Heroes to post their first victory in the pre-quarterfinal league in the 121st Osian’s Durand Cup at Ambedkar Stadium. Nagen’s brilliance steered ONDH to an emphatic 6-1 victory over ASC Centre keeping the hope alive for qualifying to the next round. Two goals in the opening 25 minutes and twice in the second half swept ASC Centre, Bangalore away with Nagen finding the back of the net in both the halves. Nitesh Bariely of ASC centre pulled a goal back in the 26th minute but it proved merely a consolation effort. ONDH showed their attacking intent from the first whistle and ONDH took the lead after five minutes, a brilliant assist by Itaue where Nagen had to just tap the ball in the net. Again in the 25th minute Nagen increased the lead through his individual brilliance. Itaue the Brazilian import this season for ONDH showed his class and his technical supremacy through out the match. A dazzling free kick from the top box that sailed in the top left corner of the opponent’s goal in the 56th minute witnessed his football prowess. Before, right half Manish Khatri of ONDH volleyed in the 50th minute of the game. In the second match of the day Army XI kept their dominance by defeating the counter part Assam Rifles 2-0. the first half of the match remained goalless. In the second half the first goal came from Thirunavakarasu of Army XI in the 60th minute and Ngurneilal scored in the 69th minute. ONDH 6-1 ASC Centre, Bangalore 1-0, 2-1, 6-1 Nagen (25’, 72’, 77’), 2-1 Nitesh Bariely (26'), 3-1 Manish Khatri (50'), 5-1 Itaue (56’) Army XI 2- 0 Assam Rifles 2-0, Thirunavakarasu (60’), Ngurneilal (69’) TFA battles out BSF 23.08.2008:In the ongoing 121st Osian’s Durand Cup Pre- Quarterfinal League, Tata Football Academy team of Group – B defeated BSF by 1-0. In the other match Salgaocar thumped ONGC with a win of 3-0. In the first match of the day TFA and BSF were evenly poised. In the first half, it was hard luck for both the teams as they could not score. Both teams were locked 0-0 during the lemon break. The winning goal was scored almost towards the end of the regulation time, in the 88th minute by Jagannath Sana of TFA. The second match of the day was equally absorbing. Salgaocar dominated the game from the very beginning to the end. Eduardo Lacerda of Salgaocar scored the first goal of the match in the 32nd minute and in the 40th minute Bijen Singh of Salgaocar scored another goal. The match was one-sided and in the 85th minute Anil Kumar of Salgaocar made the score line 3-0. Army XI had smooth sailing 22.08.2008:In the ongoing 121st Osian’s Durand Cup Army XI Durand Champion in 2005 and runners up in 2003 started their Group A Pre- Quarterfinals League campaign with convincing 4-1 win over ASC Centre, Bangalore. In the other match Assam Rifles defeated Osian’s New Delhi Heroes by 3-2. The first goal of the match was scored by M.G.Ramachandran of Army XI in the 33rd minute and the other goal was posted in the 43rd minute by Nogen Lama of Army XI. In the second half of the match Gordon of Army XI scored the goal at 60th minute. Nitesh Bariely of ASC Centre, Bangalore scored solitary goal in the 85th minute. At the end Nogen Lama sealed the match with his signature goal at the 87th minute. In the second match of the day Osian’s New Delhi Heroes and Assam Rifle were evenly poised through out the entire duration of the play. Players from both the teams tried to out play each other. The first goal of the match came from Abel Sema of Assam Rifles in the 44th minute. Manish Khatri of Osian’s New Delhi Heroes scored an equalizer in the 57th minute. Abel sema and Meikengai Kumai of Assam Rifles scored some goals in the 64th minute and 68th minute. The final goal of the match was scored by the new Brazilian player of Osian’s New Delhi Heroes Itaue in the 85th minute. The final score line was 3-2. Local league champions Osian’s New Delhi Heroes have a new look team this year. Much is expected from Stanley, Marlangki and Itaue. Salgaocar starts their campain with win 21.08.2008:Today was the opening ceremony of the 121st Osian's Durand Cup and also the Pre - Quarterfinal League commenced where the big boys are slotted. Gen Deepak Kapoor (Chief of Army Staff) was the chief guest, inaugurated the tournament with the traditional kick off. The army organised colourful programmes, Kukri Dance, Artistic Gymnastics and the world famous Army Bagpiper band which entertained the crowd through out the day. Salgoacar 2 - 0 BSF Anil Kumar 58th minute (1 - 0), Biju Kumar 74th minute (2 - 0) The first match was between Salgoacar and BSF where Subhas Bhowmick's boys controlled the game from the start but failed to capitalise the chances they created in the first half. Second half witnessed some brilliant moves, the first goal of the match was scored by Anil Kumar in 58th minute whereas the second goal was scored by biju kumar in the 4th minute of the game. The second match of the day was between ONGC and TFA. The young brigade of the TFA matched every steps of ONGC and sometimes bettering their opponents. Both the teams battled for midfield supremacy but the match remained goalless where both the team missed the chances they created. GO TO MAIN PAGE