Churchill prevail in grudge match

The Nigerian striker Odafe Okolie went in search of goals when his club Churchill Brothers locked horns with Mahindra United in a grudge match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Fartoda.

Odafe Okolie did not go shopping for a gift for his son Odafe Junior, who turns one year on Sunday. Instead the Nigerian striker went in search of goals when his club Churchill Brothers locked horns with Mahindra United in a grudge match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Fartoda on Saturday.

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And the lanky striker's efforts did not go in vain as he produced two brilliant goals, which he credited to his son, and which helped his team romp to a narrow 2-1 win over the Mumbai ‘Red Devils’, who had won the previous meeting between the two clubs in the Durand Cup final on September 7.

"It's a fantastic win and both my goals are a gift for my lovely baby boy who completes one year on Sunday,” he told
Hindustan Times after the match.

Churchill's new Serbian coach Zoran Djordjevic was excited after making a winning start witrh the Goan side. “It's a great win for us since I just took over as the coach. I have confidence in the players and I feel that the are capable of beating any team in the country,” he said.

Mahindras coach was disappointed with the outcome of the match and attributed the defeat to the non-functioning of the midfield. “The midfield let us down. They failed to control the game and put pressure on the rival defence,” he said.