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Indians hold West Bromwich goalless

India put up a spirited performance to salvage a goalless draw against West Bromwich Albion in their second exhibition soccer match on the historic tour of England late Wednesday night.

It was a far better display compared to their opening match against Fulham Football Club, which the visitors lost 0-2 on July 22, especially in the second half when the Indians actually looked to turn the tables on the English side.

West Brom dominated the first half and most of the second half but failed to convert opportunities into goals. The Indian defence was kept busy throughout the match and they did a great job.

Roberto Fernandes, Mahesh Gawli and Hardeep Saini were solid in the defence and were able to thwart the continuous onslaught of the Englishmen.

The Indian attack depended solely on their skipper Bhaichung Bhutia and veteran I M Vijayan, who did penetrate the rival side on a few occasions but were unable to convert.

India's best chance came in the 68th minute when Bhutia and Vijayan made a fine move with the Indian captain passing the ball to Vijayan in the penalty area. Vijayan got through the defender and chipped the ball back to Bhutia whose desperate header just missed the target.

But it was the enthusiasm and energy of the Indians coupled with the near total crowd support that made the match quite exciting.

Such was the support that the Indians, visiting England after a long gap of 52 year, were asked to take a victory lap after the match with the crowd giving a standing ovation to the players.

India Tour 2000