In what proved to be a nail-biting encounter at the Cooperage, Andhra Pradesh edged out Tamil Nadu by 3-2 in the second round of league games in the 2009 Mir Iqbal Sub-Junior National Championships.
The Tamilians came into the fixture on the back of a 2-0 win against Gujrat in the tournament opener while Andhra had suffered a mammoth 7-0 loss to heavyweights, Maharashtra.
Andhra Strike
Right from kick-off, Tamil Nadu pressed for an early goal. With Apollonius Lucian and Lalram Thang teaming up upfront and, an early goal seemed possible but surprisingly it was the Andhra boys who drew first blood.
From a tight angle on the left, Andhra forward O.V Steven knocked a low strike past the keeper and into the far corner of the net to give his side the lead against the run of play. Goal! AP leading 1-0.
Tamilians Back in it
Tamil Nadu would not be subdued for long though and midfielder Alexander Romario came to his team's rescue with a powerful shot from inside the box which gave the keeper no chance as it crashed into the back of the net. Goal! 1-1. TN were back in it.
Inspite of being heavily marked, Lalram Thang delivered the goods for Tamil Nadu late in the first half. Creating space inside the box, the forward unleashed a clinical strike into the top corner to give his team the lead for the first time in the game. Goal! 1-2. TN in front.
Rakesh Levels!
On to the second half and the Andhra boys started pressing forward and launching attacks in an effort to claw their way back into the game. Their hardwork finally paid off when K Rakesh' s booming right footer left the defense flat-footed as it rebounded off the crossbar and into the back of the net. Goal! 2-2. Game on!
Raju’s Winner
With the minutes ticking down, Andhra finally completed their fight-back with the game winner. As midfielder Clarence played a long ball into the box, striker Lova Raju controlled the ball and managed to fend off his marker long enough to coolly slot the ball past the Tamil Nadu keeper Manikandan and into the back of the net - sparking wild jubilation in the Andhra camp. Goal! 3-2 to Andhra Pradesh.
Eventually, Andhra managed to hold on their advantage with some dogged defending in the final minutes of the game. At full-time, the boys had registered a famous victory against their southern counterparts.
Round Three
The win sets up an interesting final round which will see Maharashtra take on Tamil Nadu and Andhra up against Gujrat in the bid to clinch two of the play-off spots up for grabs. The victory has been a remarkable turnaround for Andhra Pradesh, who know a win will see them through to the next round with six points.
