Churchill Brothers ground
high-flying HAL

Zee Churchill Brothers recorded the biggest victory in the National Football League, grounding high-flying Hindustan Aeronautics Limited 6-0 in a tenth round match in Margao, Goa, on Monday.

They led 4-0 at half-time.

The Ghanian duo of Abdul Ganiyu Saley and Yusif Yakubu stole the limelight, the former scoring a hat-trick and Yakubu a brace. Substitute Inacio Afonso completed the rout in the 85th minute.

Saley scored in the second, ninth and 22nd minutes while Yusif Yakubu was on target in the 12th, and 67th minutes.

The victory took the Goa side to the third place in the league behind Mahindra United and ITI.

HAL, who suffered their worst defeat of the season, are on 15 points.

Churchill dominated the match throughout. Medios Tejinder Kumar, Aqueel Ansari and Roque Barreto combined well in the midfield and kept strikers Saley and Yakubu busy. They shot into the lead in the second minute. Aqeel Ansari, from the middle, lobbed the ball over the rival defence, where Rustam Sydyov failed to clear. Saley chested the ball and placed it to the far end of the net past 'keeper Gumpe Rime, who rushed out.

HAL, who beat Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan and later held Mumbai's Mahindras to a draw, were a pale shadow of themselves. The early goal demoralised their spirit. With their midfield not functioning, their defence was jittery with the slightest pressure exerted by the rival upfront as they conceded three more goals in the first half.

The last there games at the Nehru stadium, in Fatorda, where the match was held have been a goal-scoring feasts, with 13 goals being scored.

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