Goalkeeper Gumpe Rime's heroics saved Indian Telephone Industries from humiliation as former champions Salgaocar were restricted to a 2-0 victory in an Oil PSU-seventh National Football League match in Margao, Goa, on Monday.
Goals by Dud Omagbemi (27th minute) and Alex Ambrose (64th) gave the 1998-99 champions their second victory in the tournament of elite clubs and swelled their points tally to seven from four matches, the same as Indian Bank.
ITI, who suffered their third defeat, are in 11th spot with one point.
Salgaocar played to a varied pattern and dominated the match. They could have been up by four goals in the first 15 minutes had it not been for Rime, who stole the limelight, bringing off brilliant saves. He was unstoppable as he made acrobatic saves to deny striker Dudu Omagbemi on four occasions. However, he finally succumbed to the pressure as Omagbemi headed home off a cross from Alex Ambrose from the right to give Salgaocar the lead.
Alex Ambrose, who was later replaced in the second-half by Sunday Seah after failing to find the target twice, consolidated the lead in the 64th minute when he beat Rime to his right off a long pass by Tomba
Singh.
ITI, who were pushed on the defence had two scoring chances but first Zunair's header was put out of danger by Salgaocar keeper Siddi and later Zubair failed to connect a lob from the right from inside the box.
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