Ronaldinho-led team beaten 4-2 as Giggs' Mumbai also win by same margin
AGENCIES
CHENNAI
Premier Futsal finally kicked off with the first match of the double-header, Chennai 5s hosting Mumbai 5s. And in fact, it kicked off in some style as the futsallers enthralled the crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Chennai looking for some Friday night entertainment.
The futsal on offer was end to end, the kind one doesn't expect when watching a football game, and the added element of interest to the crowds was the presence of Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs and the ‘Pele of futsal’ - Falcao.
Once the speedy sensation, the now quadragenarian Giggs had quite an impact on his side’s play as they steamrolled past Chennai 5s 4-2. His sharp interceptions in the first quarter saved his side from trouble quite a few times, but the Welshman’s main contribution came towards the end of the third quarter when he intercepted a Chennai pass, beat his man and laid it off for Foglia, who made no mistake beating the keeper.
The former United assistant manager looked at ease, allaying the fears that the format of the game might breeze past him. A nutmeg, a falsetto, a no-look pass and lo! Ol’ Giggsy was having a roll. A goal in each quarter meant that Mumbai were not made to hold their breath when Falcao decided to turn on the heat in the fourth quarter. An inspired Chennai got two back, but it ended up being too little too late, as Giggs’ Mumbai picked up three points at the expense of Falcao’s Chennai.
Falcao admitted after the game that his side probably “took it too lightly until they received the first-half wake-up call”.
The second game was played between Ronaldinho’s Goa 5s and Hernan Crespo’s Kolkata 5s. The Kolkatans ran to a two-goal lead inside the first quarter as we also saw the first goal scored by an Indian in the tournament, thanks to Mohammed Islam.
Ronaldinho was the undoubted heartthrob as his side’s struggles on the night did nothing to stop fans from bringing the house down whenever the Brazilian legend touched the ball. He very nearly scorched a scorcher of a volley that was a whisker away from goal, sending the crowd berserk.
Crespo was strutting his stuff on the pitch though, with a goal (Kolkata’s third) and an assist (Kolkata’s second) to his name, along with a neat backheel attempt he tried to loop over the keeper. However, the Goans stepped up their efforts in the second half, scoring two, one either side of Crespo’s goal making the score 3-2. Not for long though, as Mohammed Islam scored his second to make it 4-2 for the Kolkata 5s, and paint a similar scoreline as the first game.
World famous freestyler Sean Garnier came on during the third quarter break to enthral the crowd, and did so effortlessly. That summed up the first day of Premier Futsal - entertainment that could get the crowd off their feet.
