Defender shafeel

National Football Championship: Shafeel P.P. and Samir Murmu scored in the first half as six-time winners Services put up a commanding display in the first quarterfinal of the 77th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, defeating Railways 2-0 at the Golden Jubilee Stadium here on Monday.

Forced to play second fiddle for most of the match against a rampaging Services side, the railwaymen were swept off their feet as early as in the ninth minute when a foul in the area allowed the winners to take the lead through a penalty converted by Shafeel PP. Their second goal came almost at the stroke of halftime; a brilliant effort by Samir Mumru saw Services go into the break leading 2-0.

That Services, who made the semifinals in the last edition too, were the better team on the pitch was clear from the very beginning. In the sixth minute, midfielder Rahul Ramakrishnan had a probing ball in his possession on the left and as he was cutting in, Railways defender Nitesh Kumar Yadav challenged him in a manner that didn’t receive the referee’s approval.