Air-India dished out an entirely forgettable display yet ended with an infinitely memorable result as they shut out Sporting Clube de Goa by a 1-0 margin in a 12th round I-League match at the Cooperage on Sunday.
It was sweet revenge for the airmen as they were able to reverse their first leg defeat in Goa by an identical margin.
The win was entirely due to the opportunism of their hard working journeyman striker Bashiru Abbas who scored in the 90th minute following a patented long throw in from Uttam Singh.
The diminutive but stocky Nigerian's fourth strike overall gave the reds their third win and took them to 14 points and sixth spot, one higher than the Panaji side who remain on 12 points after succumbing to their sixth defeat.
With this win the airmen will surely be breathing easier after having been able to banish the relegation blues for now at least.
Till Abbas scored following a crucial lapse of concentration by the visitors, the dull match seemed destined for a draw as neither side showed any inspiration or tactical acumen to force a result.
Bimal Ghosh should, however, be thankful to his rookie goalkeeper Arnab Das Sarma who acrobatically fisted out a long range pile driver from Parvinder Singh in the 18th minute. He also saved a try from Lawrence Adjei towards the end of the first session.
A sombre 'flaming orange' coach Clifford Chukwuma who conceded that his team did not have a good day, although they were marginally superior to the listless locals, nevertheless complained that the organizers refused to let him team practice on the pitch on the day prior to the match as is the tradition for the visiting team.
He said this lapse had a bearing on the defeat.
While the losers appear like a rudderless boat after their iconic sharpshooter Dudu Omagbemi has left for Poland at the start of the season, Chukwuma rightly pointed out that there is no point dwelling on the past and wishing Dudu was back.
In the meantime, Sporting Clube de Goa's present as well as future prospects do not appear to be rosy and only a spectacular revival in the remaining rounds can save them from sinking.
The Goans take on Salgaocar at home on Jan 24 in the next round while Air-India will face a struggling Mohan Bagan at the Cooperage again on Jan 27.
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