Churchill Brothers registered an unimpressive 1-0 victory over Indian Bank in their second match in the National Football League in Chennai on Saturday.
Having drawn their first match against Tollygunge Agragami, Kolkata, the Goans were tipped to overwhelm the bankmen, mainly because of their strong attack, spearheaded by Yusuf Yakubu. However, at one stage it looked as if Churchill would be held to a draw since all their attempts at goal were either feeble or thwarted by the bank defence.
In the end, Churchill were relieved when Yakabu slammed home the all-important goal in the 70th minute.
Following a pass from the left by Ratan Singh, substitute Nilin Pradhan trapped the ball and relayed it to Yakabu, who was well placed before the goal. The striker had a good look and then slammed the ball home past goalkeeper Edward Felix.
Yakubu redeemed himself with the strike as earlier he missed at least three chances (in the second, sixth and 16th minutes).
The Goans had several opportunities to score but were found wanting with their finish.
The bankmen too had a few chances but internationals Syed Sabir Pasha, Bobby Hamilton and Prahlad Singh Rawat were unable to score.