JK plays 1-1 draw against Madhya Pradesh

63RD SANTOSH TROPHY
Srinagar, May 24: In the opening match of cluster III of the 63rd Santosh Trophy, played at the St Joseph College Ground, Tiruchirappalli, Jammu and Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh played a 1-1 draw. Both the teams played attacking game but Madhya Pradesh pulled one back in the 87th minute to split points with J&K. It was Madhya Pradesh that started on an attacking note and had better ball possession in the first half. They could have found the back of the net thrice in the first half itself but they failed to capitalize on the chances that came their way. But it was last year quarterfinalists, who drew the first blood as they found the back of the net in the 42nd minute through Taufeeq. As the match entered into the lemon break with J&K leading by a solitary goal the start of the second half also had J&K keeping the momentum going and attacking at the opponents den. With 15 minutes left for the final whistle, Madhya Pradesh team got their acts together and some good moves had Athoiba Maitai scoring the equalizer in the 87th minute to spoil the dream of J&K to have winning start. But despite playing a 1-1 draw, experts are upbeat about their chances in the event. Former captain of Indian Football Team, Abdul Majeed Kakroo said JK team performed exceptionally well in the first match. “It is a good news for the team that they played a draw in such a harsh climate. They reached Chennai just last night and had to play very next day without any preparation. In coming days, they would get acclimatized with the weather conditions,” Kakroo told Greater Kashmir. “The Madhya Pradesh team had three international footballers and our boys put a brave effort. They dominated the first half, but due to harsh climate and tiredness couldn’t sustain the momentum in second half. In next match which is on May 26 against Pondicherry, I’m hopeful that they would do better,” he said. Another former international footballer, Muhammad Shafi Nari termed the team’s performance satisfactory. “After traveling such a long distance in hot and humid weather, J&K players did exceptionally well. As the team is mixture of young and experienced players, it will be useful combination in coming matches.

Apeared in greater Kashmir on May 25-2009 http://greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=25_5_2009&ItemID=9&cat=4