A player essays a through pass during a football league match at Gopal Maidan. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, June 19: Sidhu Kanhu Memorial Club (SKMC) defeated Andhra Sporting Union (ASU) 1-0 while Adivasi Welfare Association (ADWA) and Adivasi Kalyan Samity (AKS) played a 2-2 draw in the McDowell Celebration Jamshedpur Sporting Association football league held here today.

In the B-division event at the Armoury grounds, ADWA and AKS players kicked off an attacking play from the whistle, leading to some exciting moments.

AKS wrested advantage by scoring first in the 41st minute through Mantu Sardar. However, ADWA found the equaliser a minute after half time when Mangal Gope managed to score from a difficult angle.

The proceedings turned out to be fast-paced, as both teams were trying their best to net the ball.

ADWA would have scored their second goal had Gope?s header, from just outside the penalty box, landed perfectly.

But Biswachandra Nag did not miss. In the 50th minute, he gave his ADWA players, and supporters present at the venue in large numbers, something to cheer about when he put to good use a pass from the right wing.

But the ADWA defence could not keep Babu Padia away. The AKS player ensured that the ball crossed the goal-line, bringing in the equaliser.

In another match of the day, an A-division tie at Gopal Maidan, SKMC played better football than ASU and threatened their opponents many times.

It did not take long for the outfit to draw first blood, when forward Suresh Mahto slided in a fine goal in the ninth minute. ASU tried hard to restore parity, but in vain, as the SKMC defence proved a hard nut to crack. In the 25th minute, SKMC?s Surender Soren was shown the yellow card for unsporting behaviour.

The second half saw SKMC making several openings but failing to take advantage of them.

The midfielders kept the supply line intact and had the forwards latched onto the opportunities. The ASU boys did not show any propensity to score and seemed to adopt safer tactics.