34th Federation Cup: Weather to play spoilsport in Siliguri & Jamshedpur?

The 34th Federation Cup is set to played from September 19 to 30 simultaneously in Siliguri (West Bengal) and Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), but the late monsoon could cause problems to the scheduling of the tournament.

The Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri is set to host two matches a day for six days, while the JRD Sports Complex and Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur a match a day each.

Authorities in Siliguri along with players who have prior experience at the venue say that two games a day with the possibility of rains in the coming days could cause a lot of problems, e.g. making the ground slushy and heavy which could be factor regarding quality football and then teams will be playing three matches in only five days which increases the risk of injury.

In Jamshedpur the JRD Sports Complex has already hosted six matches in the qualifiers and on some days it rained which has affected the quality of the pitch. Six more matches and one hopes the rains stay away.

The Nehru Cup a few weeks ago showed what rains can do to a tournament and football matches, only there are many more matches at the Federation Cup and there aren't really any breaks in which postponed matches could be played.

One hopes the weather gods are in support of the Federation Cup...

2012 Nehru Cup: Maldives score an upset against Syria

The Maldives scored a historic 2-1 victory against Syria, the islanders first-ever victory against an Arabian nation, in the 2012 Nehru Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. With the win the Maldives move to six points from three matches and now have a real chance to reach the finals; while Syria, the 2007 and 2009 finalists, are out with only a point to their name so far.

The match had to kick-off late due to continuing monsoon rains in the capital and it did hamper the two sides in the match. Surprisingly Syria adjusted better to the ground conditions while the Maldives needed some time then passing football was simply not possible, so both teams had to rely on aerial balls.

After a goalless first session the match came to life after the breather. Syria attacked a defensive Maldives, but the islanders took the lead through their striker Ali Ashfaq's header in the 59th minute. Syria now went all out into attack, but Maldives goalkeeper Mohamed Imran was often in the way or the strikers could not finish the attacks. In the 81st minute Syria did equalise through an acrobatic bicycle kick from Alaa Al Shbli, who was in an offside position but the ball came off a Maldives defender so the goal was legitimate and allowed.

With Syria equalising and continuing to put pressure on the Maldives defence it seemed only a matter of time when they would score the winner, but towards the end the match opened-up and the Maldives would score the winner of a counter-attack late in injury time when Ahmed Rasheed pushed the ball into an empty net from a Ali Ashfaq square pass.

The winner lead to a lot of discussions on the sidelines with Syria alleging the match was finished and over by then but the Maldives coach Istvan Urbanyi was sent off for dissent as he unnecessarily got involved in the sideline discussions.

2012 Nehru Cup: India start with 2-1 win against Syria

The 2012 edition of the Nehru Cup got off to a perfect start for the hosts and defending champions India with a 2-1 victory against old rivals Syria at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. These three points could be crucial for India to reach the finals on September 2.

Syria has been a tough rival for India in the Nehru Cup over the last couple of editions. India lost against them in the group stage in 2007 and 2009 but then went on to beat them in the 2007 and 2009 finals. This time around India made a positive start against Syria in the group stage.

But it was a tough start for India as well as for Syria, who both featured new-look sides in this tournament opener. It was a slow start by both sides, who needed time to settle down and Syria seemed to cope better with the detoriating ground conditions with the Indian defence especially Raju Gaikwad having its problems but Subrata Pal stood tall. Delhi has been experiencing seasonal monsoon rains and during the match it got heavier and heavier resulting in the referee Vladislav Tseytlin from Uzbekistan haulting proceedings after only 34 minutes with play not possible.

After the forced break Syria came out realising that the high and long ball was more effective on a ground which was rather stopping the ball then allowing it to move. But in injury-time against the run of play India took the lead when Clifford Miranda played a perfect cross from the left which was headed in by a free Sunil Chhetri to give India the lead.

After the break the difficult ground conditions continued for both sides though the organisers tried their best to drain out the water, but Syria seemed to have lost their purpose though they had some chances while India was playing better as a team. Subrata Pal had to come to India's rescue on a few occasions, but he had a strong game in his comeback match.

India sealed the victory in the 84th minute when substitute Anthony Pereira, who came on for debutant Sanju Pradhan, curled the ball into the far corner of the net from just outside box following a pass from Francis Fernandes. Syria was only able to reduce the deficit in injury time through an Alaa Al Shbli header off a free-kick which caught the Indian defence napping.

After the match Sunil Chhetri was declared 'Man of the Match'.

The 2-1 win was a perfect start for Wim Koevermans though the Dutchman will have seen that a lot of works remains with Team India to get the best out of the team and also find the right combination and formation.


MATCH STATS

India 2-1 (1-0) Syria - Goals: 1-0 Sunil Chhetri (45+2'), 2-0 Anthony Pereira (84'), 2-1 Alaa Al Shbli (90+1')

India
1-Subrata Pal - 4-Nirmal Chetri, 3-Raju Gaikwad, 19-Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh, 22-Syed Rahim Nabi - 8-Sanju Pradhan (70' 14-Anthony Pereira), 20-Mehtab Hussain, 6-Lenny Rodrigues, 15-Clifford Miranda - 26-Francis Fernandes - 11-Sunil Chhetri [C]

Syria
25-Taha Mosa - 15-Alaa Al Shbli, 2-Ahmed Al Salih, 4-Jehad Al Baour, 3-Mohamad Zbida - 18-Ali Ghalioum, 8-Mohamad Afa Al Rifal (46' 12-Zakaria Al Omani), 10-Zaher Midani, 11-Oday Jafal - 9-Mardik Mardikian (64' 17-Hamoud Al Hamoud), 20-Hani Al Taiar

Referee
Vladislav Tseytlin (Uzbekistan)