SBT shock Mahindra United

S Ayyappa Swamy

Amidst rumours of Mahindra United sacking their coach Shabbir Ali, the Bombay outfit went down 2-3 to cellar team State Bank of Travancore in the fifth National Football League tie at the Coooperage, in Bombay, on Wednesday.

The first leg match between the teams had ended in a 2-2 draw, at Thiruvanathapuram.

Abdul Noushad gave SBT the lead in the 26th minute and Raman Vijayan equalised off a penalty in the 43rd minute. S Ignatious made it 2-1 in the 66th and T. Shabbir Ali struck from 35 yards, in a peach of an effort, to consolidate the lead in the 90th minute.

In stoppage time, Shamsy Raza punted in a cross from the left to reduce the margin for Mahindra United.

It left Mahindra gasping at 18 points from 19 matches and gave a fresh lease of life to SBT, who are on 17 points from 19 outings.

Mahindra played without any passion and should have lost by a larger margin but for some luck going for them. First, a T Asif Saheer shot went off the crosspiece and then they got a lucky penalty when M. Habib was apparently felled by defender Abdul Basheer. It was a shoulder-to-shoulder incident and both players dropped on the run. Certainly, the incident did not warrant a penalty.

But SBT, who play an attacking and attracting 4-3-3 system, certainly had things going their way as Mahindra simply went through the motions without appearing to be trying hard.

In the second half, Mahindra manager Harish Rao made some changes but hasty shots and indecisive releasing in the periphery of the box, saw no clear chances coming the team's way.

And Shabbir Ali's brilliant strike was the icing on the cake as it left Sunderraj Rajan completely wrong-footed and nary a chance.