SUPER DIVISION
Guwahati, Sept. 4: Sunrise Athletic Club held NF Railway Soccer Club to a goalless draw in the RG Baruah Trophy Guwahati Sports Association Super Division football tournament at Nehru Stadium here today.
The match saw no goal on either side, but a number of bookings on both sides.
The referee had to pull out two yellow cards and a red card against the railmen while he flashed three yellow cards and a red card to Sunrise in the match, making it the most heated one in the tournament so far.
The match kicked off by observing a minute's silence to pay homage to former sports minister Moidul Islam Bora who passed away this morning.
Plagued by off-colour performances, players on both sides could not make any significant inroads in the first half. The ball remained confined mostly to the midfield and on the few occasions when it reached the box, was sent back to square one by the defenders on both sides.
In the second half, the railmen took the battle to Sunrise in which they managed to keep the ball within the opponent's box but skipper Sibra Narzary and striker Chayaram Basumatary could not give precision to the final touches.
In the 49th minute, Sibra brilliantly carried the ball dodging past the opponent defence to the left flank from where a cross to unmarked Chayaram could have easily found the net. But instead, he took a shot hitting the outside woodwork. This followed a corner kick from Sankar Sil, but again, Sibra failed to head it in. Chayaram, too, squandered several more opportunities during the match.
The temperament of the match, however, changed from the 59th minute when Sunrise's Nigerian recruit Francish Okenchukwu was shown a second yellow card resulting in his marching order. This was followed by a heated argument between the referee and the Sunrise players. The ill-tempers lasted till Chayaram was flashed a red card in the 78th minute.
For Sunrise, the only significant move was made by substitute Benjamin in the 66th minute. Finding an opening, he carried the ball into the box and curled it in with a right footer. It was saved by a brilliant dive by custodian Sukanta Roy.
A division league: Sports Authority of India (SAI) SC defeated City Police by 1-0 in the Jibeswar Goswami A division league on the second turf of Nehru Stadium here today.
