MARGAO: Relegation threatened Salgaocar Sports Club and Air-India clash in a vital encounter of the I-League at Nehru stadium, Fatorda, on Friday, which could have a major bearing on the survival of both the teams amongst the elite of Indian football.
Salgaocar are precariously placed at 12th position with 23 points, a shade below rivals Air India, who have gathered 24 points and with the other relegation contenders Shillong Lajong, Viva Kerala and East Bengal also hovering just fractionally ahead, a win either for the Goans and the Mumbai outfit could soar the drop candidates to eighth place on the league chart.
Salgoacar had to come back from behind to snatch a point from a seemingly hopeless position against Pune FC in the last match and Karim Bencharifa’s men will not only need the fighting qualities but more than that to move out from the perilous position. Salgaocar had shown signs of improvement under Bencharifa but the defeat at the hands of Sporting Clube has some what swept away the initial hopes, putting the green brigade under tremendous pressure.
Winger Francis Fernandes voted man of the match in the last outing and skipper Luciano Sabrosa had performed consistently but it’s the African strike force of Ekene Ikenwa and Mandjou Keita who had to deliver the goals which can change the present status of the team.
With coach Bencharifa out of station and attending a football course, the technical director Peter Valles had to take charge under stiff surroundings and he’s hopeful that his team will get a positive result. “We’re in an uncomfortable position and we want a victory, it’s not that we’re playing poorly but only that we need an early breakthrough. I am very sure that the players will put up a strong performance and get us a win.”
Air India’s tale also had a familiar tone of despair. After achieving a stunning result in Kolkata, with a stunning defeat of East Bengal in March, the Mumbai team’s progress disintegrated and they were able to collect just 2 points in the last 3 matches.
With the morale at the ebb, coach Yusuf Ansari will have his hands full to motivate the players to produce the much-needed win under trying circumstances. Without any big names Air India had to struggled and it’s for the experienced heads like Vijit Shetty, Peter Odafe, Uttam Singh and Samson Singh to put up a joint effort in keeping their team a float but with the absence of the strike pair of Soccoro Velho and Kailash Patil, medios Dada Nabel and Ravinder Singh, the task appears pretty improbable.
