Indian Bank outplay Dempo

Striker Syed Sabir Pasha came up with a second-half brace to help Indian Bank halt Dempo's winning streak with a 3-1 victory in the Oil PSU-seventh National Football League at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Chennai on Monday.

After a barren first-half, Indian Bank shot into the lead through Pasha in the 54th minute. Sri Lankan recruit Kasun Nadika Jayasuriya then put the hosts ahead 2-0 at the hour mark.

Three minutes later, Dempo fought back to reduce the margin through substitute Francis Silveira.

But Pasha, a former India player, then took the game away from the Goa outfit, scoring the third goal for Indian Bank in the 81st minute, with a low header.

Indian Bank, who had upset ITI, Bangalore, in their opening match, now have six points from two outings, while the Goans tasted their first defeat in three matches after victories over the Goa mates, Vasco and Salgaocar.

The bankmen, returning to the elite league after a gap of three years, dominated most of the match with neat intercepts and coordination. They constantly troubled the rival defence, particularly in the second-half.

Dempo's key striker Andrew Sergey failed to break the shackles, being closely marked.

Both the teams had a few good chances in the first-half, in which bankmen had more possession, but failed to convert them.

Complete Coverage: 7th National Football League 2002-03