A late penalty goal by Yusif Yakubu gave Churchill Brothers a solitary goal victory over Mahindra United in the penultimate round of the seventh Oil PSU National Football League at the Nehru stadium in Margao, Goa, on Wednesday.
The penalty was awarded by referee Dinesh Nair after Mahindras' keeper Naseem Akhtar got marching orders for bringing down Yakubu, after charging dangerously at him inside the box when he was about to score five minutes before regulation time.
Mahindras had by then used up their full quota of three substitutes and had no option but to field striker Jose Damasio in the goal. Yakubu, who took the kick, made no mistake in finding the net as he beat Damasio to his left.
In the process, Yakubo scored his 18th goal and became the leading scorer of the league.
With this victory, Churchill, with 34 points from 21 matches, have a good chance of finishing fourth. They play their last match against lowly-placed ITI.
