Viva Kerala were outplayed by Pune FC by 2-3 in a round 3 match of the 2nd Division Final Round in Gurgaon.

Viva failed to put up its pacy gameplan und surrendered to a team which looked sharper and more determined to go for the win.

 

In the 14th minute, Pune FC forged ahead when their striker Jeje drew first blood. Seven minutes later, the lead was doubled as defender Kamal Thapa headed in the ball off a corner-kick.

Viva however managed to bull one back through playmaker M.P. Sakeer who unleashed a powerful shot into the net after being set up by Nigerian Baba Tunde.

Just before halftime, Shabhas Saleel was brought down inside the box and Viva Kerala was awarded a spot-kick. Bello Rasaq, who was hand-picked by the coach to execute the kick, was preparing to take the penalty, but fellow Nigerian Baba had other plans and lined himself up. To the dismay of the Viva fans he placed the ball wide of the post and a brilliant chance to level the scoreline went begging.

 

In the 2nd half, Viva went on attacking mode to at least grab a draw, but the move backfired as Jeje scored his second in the 62nd minute of the match.

In the closing minutes, coach Sreedharan replaced Baba Tunde with Shibinlal who instantly had a go at the goal. The shot was parried but wing-back Sajesh managed to find the net. But it was already to late and Viva suffered their first defeat in the final round.

The tough matches against Salgaocar and ONGC are crucial now as the final round heads into a close and nail-biting finish.

 

Viva: Shahinlal (Anoop) - Sajesh, Noushad, Rasaq, Sathish Kumar - Siraj (Manoharan), Lalu, Sakeer, Saleel - Baba Tunde (Shibinlal), Sabeeth.

 

A.M. Sreedharan: "We conceded three silly goals, but Pune's win was not undeserved. We just did not play as in our earlier matches. Adding to this, our goalie Shahinlal sustained an injury and Saleel and Lalu are starting to have problems, too. However, we will give our best and we want to win the match against Salgaocar!".