Jammu and Kashmir Bank advanced to the semifinals of the GV Raja all-India football tournament despite losing its last league match 1-2 against Army XI at the University stadium here at Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
All the three teams in pool ‘C’ finished their engagements with three points each but Jammu and Kashmir Bank made the grade by virtue of its better goal average.
Army XI, which needed to win by a three-goal margin to qualify, played in earnest but was unlucky and was thwarted by a rival whose primary aim was to avoid a big defeat.
Gorden Zoramchana hit the bar twice and Army missed a few gilt edged chances to plot its own downfall. Santu Subba (12th) and Gorden Zoramchana (58th) scored the goals for Army XI while Nigerian Kareem Omolaja (63rd) reduced the margin for the bankmen.
Jammu side tried to slow down the proceedings and slipped into defensive mode early but Army men managed to breach the defence in the 12th minute.
Mahesh Rai floated a long ball into the bank’s penalty area and T. Kuki managed to elude the off-side trap and shot the ball past onrushing goalkeeper Vickramjeet Singh towards the far post. Santu Subba rushed in and tapped the ball home.
The bankmen became more proactive in the second half and attacked often. However, Army XI went ahead in the 58th minute. A needless foul by Omolaja on Kuki resulted in a free-kick from outside the box. Zormanchana curled in a left footer past the diving goalkeeper to put his side ahead.
Omolaja pulled one back for the bankmen in the 63rd minute when he scored off a free-kick inside the rival box.
The goal prompted the bankmen to be more adventurous and Army goal survived some anxious moments.
Jammu & Kashmir will take on SESA Goa in the semifinals.
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Thursday 11 February 2010, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.