Churchill wake up in 2nd half

MARGAO, JAN 18
Two goals in the second half helped Churchill Brothers defeat bottom placed Air India 2-0 in a 10th round match of I-League at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, here on Tuesday. There was no score at half time.
The Goans egged on by their supporters, showed pluck and the midfield performed with panache. The roar in the midfield was gentle before it turned into a thunderstorm as they attacked vigorously. Zakeer Mundampara was instrumental in putting the Air India defence to sword with impressive passes, often making inroads into the Air India defence while captain Robert Lalthlamuana added teeth to the attack to keep strikers Vincent Kayne and Binesh Balan busy.
Air India had their chances initially but strikers Manjit Singh and Nigerian Okoroogor, both seemed to be out of sorts and wasted opportunities early on.
In the 5th minute, Collin Abranches took a snap shot and Churchill’s goalkeeper Lalit Thapa allowed the ball to slip from his hands. Nigerian striker Okoroogor Praise leapt high but referee M B Santosh Kumar penalised the striker for a foul.
Eleven minutes later, Churchill’s Dinesh Thounaojam hit Manjit Singh inside the penalty box and the referee awarded a free kick. Manjit made a mess of it by sending the ball wide.
Churchill also had scoring chances in the opening session and nearly found success in the 14th minute but midfielder Israil Gurung’s stiff shot was cleared by Air India defender Dhanachandra Singh and off the rebound, New Zealand striker Kayne Vincent spurned the easiest chance of the day by shooting wide from five yards.
Churchill had more scoring opportunities but strikers Durga Boro and Zakeer Mundapara’s tries missed the mark narrowly.
Changing ends, Churchill began on a rousing note and nearly broke the deadlock but striker Durga Boro fumbled at crucial moment.
Air India nearly surged ahead but Eric Bolwie headed out with an open goal off a free kick by Sukwinder Singh.
Air India must have also been cursing their luck for letting go the opportunity to take the lead in the 63rd minute. Central stopper Rowilson Rodrigues gave a backpass to his goalkeeper and Air India striker Samson Singh snatched the ball from the custodian. However, the ball bounced as Samson made a valiant attempt but lost momentum and captain Robert Lathlamuana cleared the ball to safety heading the ball out from the goalline.
Despite Churchill exerting pressure, they needed a turn of fortune to secure a goal. An Air India defender made a mistake while tackling a Churchill player and the referee awarded a free kick just outside the penalty box. Man-of-the-match Robert Lathlamuana beat the Air India keeper Kunal Sawant hands down in the 70th minute.
Five minutes later, Churchill doubled the lead when substitute Charan Rai, who kept his cool after receiving a through pass from Durga Boro from the left, put the ball past Air India keeper Kunal Sawant.