03.08.2008:Rahul Sengupta : India won a nails biting match against Turkmenistan in the penultimate day of the AFC Challenge Cup 2008.

The match started with both the teams finding it hard to adjust them in the difficult underfoot conditions in the Gachibowli Stadium after continuous downpour throughout the day. With both teams playing shaky football in the opening minutes it seemed that Turkmenistan came here for serious business after they had actually won a corner in the second minute of the game itself. As the match progressed Indian team took charge of the match, as the conditions were not alien for them. A brilliant move by Renedy Singh found Bhaichung flicking a header which Tajikistan goalie Shamuradov using his fingers to keep it out, the ball was still in play as Climax Lawrence had an open net to punch home the opening goal but it was goalkeeper Shamuradov coming into action once again to deny the hosts enjoy lead so early. Incidentally Turkmenistan goalkeeper Shamuradov was the third choice goalkeeper after both the goalkeepers were kept out of the match by coach Rahim. India by then was looking more futile in taking the lead. Another noteworthy move saw right back Surkumar Singh crossing a ball which N P Pradeep connected but missed the target by a whisker. On the other hand Turkmenistan did get some chances through Ovekov and Krendelev but Goalkeeper Subrata Paul was equal to it and saved India from conceding the goal.

In the second half India looked to consolidate on the better possession that they enjoyed in the opening half. It took only 9 minutes in the second half for captain Bhaichung Bhutia to score the opening goal, which many people may call a lucky goal in the 54th minute. India kept on pressing the Turkmenistan defense. The game caught momentum as more than 1000 people had turned up to support their favorite team. The heat of the game got on to the players as well as the Arab referee handed out three yellow cards in the match. In the 80th minute Bhaichung Bhutia scored his second and sealed the match from a well-directed set piece movement initiated by India’s dead ball specialist Renedy Singh. Turkmenistan substitute Yusuf managed to score a goal for Turkmenistan in the 84th minute but by then the match had already been won by India.

India now book a place in the semi finals topping the group A with seven points from three games.

Score: India 2 (Bhaichung Bhutia [15] (54th, 80th) Turkmenistan 1 (Orazmadov Yusuf [37] 84th)

Yellow Cards: Anwar Ali (5) and Climax Lawrence (30) both India and Rustam (26) Turkmenistan.

Referee: Khalid Jasim Khalifa (U.A.E)

03.08.2008:Rahul Sengupta : After having a not so impressive display in the two opening matches of the AFC Challenge Cup 2008 the defending champions have booked a place in the semi finals of the tournament after ruling the roost over Afghanistan in the last match of the group stage round.

Tajikistan coach Kodirov Pulod had mentioned in the press conference before the match that he was not at all happy with his teams display so far. The negative statement of the coach seemed to work as magic for the team as Tajikistan team went onto attack from the opening of the match itself, which was played at the Lal Bahadur Stadium for a change.

Tajikistan team took the lead in the 14th minute itself through their old warhorse Robiev who incidentally had scored at the same time itself during their last match against India. The Tajikistan team was never happy with the one goal lead as they kept on creating a buzz in the Afghanistan defense who seemed to have lost everything after their spirited show in the opening match. The Tajikistan team very well knew that they needed to register a win with a good scoreline to ensure them a place in the last four that is what exactly Robiev did after setting up Tkhtasunov to score in the 39th minute and again went on to score again in the 44th minute. As Afghanistan went for the breather they found themselves already 3-0 down and virtually out of the AFC Challenge Cup 2008.

The second half saw a better display by Afghanistan as they defended well but they ever looked too dangerous to score a goal and that is the reason why Tajikistan goalkeeper Shamshuddin Amiri had a very easy day in the office. The match saw as many as four yellow cards being shown by the referee. In the 56th minute Robiev scored his hat trick and sealed the match for Tajikistan. After scoring his third goal of the match Robiev is now the highest goals scorer so far by scoring 4 goals in the tournament.

Tajikistan qualify for the semi finals along with India after they finished second with 5 points in three matches.

Score: Tajikistan 4 (Robiev [22] (14th, 44th, 56th) Tkhtasunov [20] (39th) Afghanistan 0

Yellow Cards: Khamikob (11) and Radhzabov (12) both Tajikistan Mohammed Shaki (13) and Faisal Zada (11) both Afghanistan.

Referee: Vo Minh Tree (Vietnam)

02.08.2008:Rahul Sengupta :Winning by a solitary goal in the second match of Group B DPR Korea now are inching closer towards making it to the semi finals.

Staging a great comeback the Nepalese side under coach Birat Krishna Shresta did show some good character in the match today which was all but lacking in their opening encounter against Myanmar.

As the score line suggests the game was close enough with nothing to choose from both the sides. The match saw more of Midfield battle between the two until and unless Park Song Chol scored the only goal of the match in the first half of the game.

The match can be expressed as the roughest match so far because the match saw as many as five yellow cards being shown to different players. The match saw Nepal combining well with midfielders Raj Thapa and Manu Rai giving some tough job for Koreans but it was their captain Pak Nam Chol who held the defense together as usual.

The only goal of the game came in the 39th minute with striker Park Song Chol finishing of a great movement imitated by their right back Yun Yong Il.

Score: DPR Korea 1 ( Park Song Chol [9] 24’) Nepal 0

Yellow cards: Rakesh Shresta (4), Manu Rai (11), Niranjan Khadka (12) all Nepal and Park Song Chol (9) Jyon Hok (13) all DPR Korea

Referee: Iemoto Massaki (Japan)

01.08.2008:Rahul Sengupta :Indian skipper commonly known as the Sikkimese Sniper stepped out of the reserve bench to give India a most salvaged 1-1 draw against Defending Champions Tajikistan in the Group A encounter of the AFC Challenge Cup 2008.

The match started with Tajikistan getting their intentions clear by staging attacks after attacks in the Indian Defense. The deadlock came as early as 10th minute into the match when Tajikistan midfielder Robiev Yusuf opened his account with a brilliant goal. After the goal was scored the Indian team did try to stabilize itself only to find young Shushil Kumar Singh and Sunil Chhetri failing to combine in the attacking third. Tajikistan kept on pressing as Indian defenders Anwar Ali and debutant Baldeep Saini was finding it difficult to hold back the brilliant combo of Tkhtasunov and Samad. The Indian team was a bit dejected when they went into the breather being a goal down

The second half saw the substitution of Surkuamr Singh in place of Mahesh Gawli. The attacking winger back never felt shy to combine with Steven Dias to increase attacks down the right flank. In the 59th minute Bob Houghton played his ultimate trump card by bringing in start striker Bhaichung Bhutia in place of Shushil Singh the change worked wonders as Bhaichung took only few minutes to score the equalizer from a brilliant cross of Steven Dias the equalizer gave India to battle harder as they tried there level best to pump in another goal but in fact it was Tajikistan who were unlucky on the Eclipse day who failed to convert some easy opportunities due to the brilliant Subrata Paul. Steven Dias’ brilliant free kick went off the bar in the 86th minute and the corner kick miss by Gourmangi Singh in the 90th minute meant that India had to be happy with a 1-1 draw.

India are now in the top second spot after scoring 4 points and they need to win the most important tie against Turkmenistan to book a place in the semi finals.

Score: Tajikistan 1 (Robiev [22] 10) India 1 ( Bhaichung Bhutia [15] 61’)

Yellow Cards: Tukhtasunov (2), Dzhalilov (29) both Tajikistan

Referee: Tayeb Hassan (Bangladesh)

31.07.2008:Rahul Sengupta :The North Koreans got their momentum right after winning comprehensively against Sri Lanka in the opening fixture of the Group b in the AFC Challenge Cup 2008.

The North Koreans side dominated proceedings from the beginning itself and won as many as three corners in the first 20 minutes into the game. The ultimate breakthrough came in the 9th minute when Korean striker Park Song Chol netting home the opening goal of the game. Despite the lead the Koreans kept on pressurizing the Lankan Defense and coach Jaung Jang became all but helpless to see his concede yet another goal through a defensive lapse in the 27th minute by none other than park song Chol itself. As the Koreans walked into the dressing room at the half time interval it seemed that the result was already known.

In the second half though Sri Lanka tried to build a strong momentum only to see their defender Wadhuke Peiris scoring an unfortunate own goal in the 50th minute. The Koreans added more men upfront to build on the lead but poor finishing saved Sri Lanka from further blushes. Sri Lanka was playing with a lone striker who did get some half chances in the dying minutes but the numerical advantage did not allow them to add their names in the score sheet.

The Koreans are looking as the strongest contenders and the favorites from Group b to advance to the next round.

Score: DPR Korea 3 (park Song Chol [9] 9’, 27’and Wadhuke [24] OG 50’) Sri Lanka 0

Yellow Cards: Suranda Bandara (17) and Sanjay Silva (3) both Sri Lanka

Referee: Vo Minh Tri (Vietnam)

31.07.2008:Rahul Sengupta :In another group B encounter between Myanmar showed their supremacy in style by defeating their SAFF rivals comprehensively.

The First Half saw both teams playing safe football playing lot more defensive as both teams knew the importance of winning the opening fixture in any tournament. The opening half saw few chances in fact Nepal striker Manu Rai came the closest to score but Myanmar skipper U Min Thu stood as a fort in the defense. Both the teams went into the break with a 0-0 scoreline as neither of the teams took the risk to open their account.

As soon as the second half progressed it was Myanmar who shoed the utmost urgency to score first with Midfielder Pai Soe coming close to add his name in the score sheet. The wait was ultimately over in the 66ht minute when a brilliant one two passing move between Thia Aung and Win Thei split open the Nepalese defense to gift Marcos Antonio’s Boys the much-awaited lead through Win Thei. The one goal lead was short lived when substitute striker Myo Min Tun increased the lead 2-0. Nepal did try to stage a comeback with few organized move but it was yet another substitute Myat Min scoring in the 86th minute to seal Myanmar the victory in the opening fixture.

The day two was completely in contrast with the day one as day one saw only 1 goal scored whereas day two saw as many as 6 goals being scored!

Score: Myanmar 3 (Win Thei [16] 66’, Min Tun [10] 76’, Myat Min [11] 86’ Nepal 0

Yellow Cards: Santosh Shahukala (18) Nepal.

Referee: Khalid Jasim (U.A.E)

30.07.2008:Rahul Sengupta :As the title suggest Dempo SC star midfielder Climax Lawrence got India off with a winning start after scoring a goal in the added time in the second half to gift Bob Houghton with full three points in the opening day of the AFC Challenge Cup 2008.

The match started with hosts India creating most of the chances through Bungo Singh and Sunil Chhetri being denied by the gallant goalkeeping by Shamshuddin Amiri who did a brilliant job to parry away a long-range effort by Sunil Chhetri.

The Indian team went closer to score when the cross from Climax Lawrence failed to meet the finishing touches of skipper Bhaichung Bhutia. Meanwhile Afghanistan too got a chance to score and in fact they came the closest to score through their forward Oadami but youthful as ever Subrata Paul saved India from blushes.

The second halves saw Afghanistan trying their level best to score past the Indian full backs but were unable to do so despite their forwards trying everything they could. The inclusion of Sameer Naik and later on Mahesh Gawli in the Indian Defense helped India to stabilize their strong ground and later on a last gasp effort drove in by Climax gave hosts the ultimate start they were looking for.

With three points India in their kitty India are now at the top of the table and will next face Tajikistan.

Score: India 1 Afghanistan 0

Yellow Cards: Shrityar (16) 57th and kohistani (7) 92nd

Referee: Iemoto Masaki (Japan)

30.07.2008:Rahul Sengupta :The opening match of the 2nd AFC Challenge Cup in India 2008 saw a surprise when the Defending champions had to settle for a shaky start after gallant Turkmenistan held them to a goalless draw.

The game played at Gachibowli Stadium saw the humid conditions of Indian weather taking center stage, as both the teams were reluctant to perform with the rising mercury.

The first half saw Turkmenistan dominating proceedings with Tajikistan goalie Alisher coming into action more often. The game caught momentum in the last stages of the opening half with Turkmenistan Goalkeeper cum Skipper making a brilliant save of the effort made by tajikisatani forward Muhidinov.

The initial stages of the second half saw the defending champions Tajikistan under coach Kodirov Pulod trying to make a comeback with more disciplined football with their midfielders Samad and Anvar combing well to set up striker Muhidinov to get some quick fire goals. The heat was playing spoilsport as players found it too hard to play in such conditions thus creating very less opportunities in the second half. Turkmenistan Midfielder Krendelev was the only bright spot in the second half as he gave some tough time for Tajikistan defenders.

With both teams happy with a draw it gives India a good chance to consolidate their position with a win against Afghanistan.

Score: Turkmenistan 0 Tajikistan 0

Yellow Cards: Kradanov (9) 44th and Mekan (19) 48th both Turkmenistan

Referee: Kovalenko valentin (Uzbekistan)