It was a pathetic final with both teams playing poor football. I was surprised
that some Goan players could not even trap the ball properly. This team, I
felt, was a far cry from those I watched in the 70s.
Goa seemed so lucky to get past Tamil Nadu in the semis. No doubt the penalty
was deserving and Goa scored to march into the final, but the rivals missed
sitters. Goa too had its share of missed chances.
Goa has been a force to reckon with in Indian football for a long time. The
balance of power has often shifted from Bengal to Goa and vice-versa.
I could not find any Goan player capable of dribbling past a couple of
defenders with great skill. They seemed slow and their shooting power was weak.
However, the overall Indian standard has sunk very low. There were not many
thrills in some of the matches of Santosh tournament I watched on TV.
Even the standard of football commentary has gone down. Shabbir Ali could have
been restricted to giving "expert comments" instead of a running commentary.
The other guy, I think Sen, was also not far better.
Eugene
