56th Bordoloi Trophy

Port Authority vs ONGC final on Saturday:

Nov 23: Port Authority (Bangkok) will take on ONGC, Mumbai, in the final of the 56th Bordoloi Trophy football tournament under flood light at Nehru Stadium at Guwahati on Saturday.

It will be the fourth appearance for the Thai outfit while ONGC will be seen in action for the first time.

Both the sides played some exciting football on way to reach the final of the championship. ONGC, Mumbai defeated Abahani Limited of Bangladesh 5-4 in sudden death in the second semi-final after the match ended in a goalless draw at the end of normal time and extra time.

On the other hand, Port Authority of Thailand defeated Oil India Limited, Duliajan in the first semi-final by 2-1 to earn a berth in the final.

The two teams did some practice at the Nehru Stadium ahead of the final. The team from Mumbai came out in the morning while the Thai outfit enjoyed the afternoon sun while stretching their muscles for the final match.

Both the teams looked confident to win the final match which will be televised live by Doordarshan. The local crowd will have something to cheer about as local lads — Bilifang Narzary and Sanjiva Rongpi — will turn out for the ONGC team. It may be mentioned here that both Sanjiva and Bilifang were instrumental in the team’s victory over Abahani Limited in the second semi-final.

Meanwhile, considering the response of the crowd in the two semi-finals of the tournament, which was much better than what had been in the earlier matches, the Gauhati Sports Association, the organisers of the meet, is optimistic that the final will see many people in the stadium. The GSA, for the benefit of the audience, has started selling tickets for the final encounter from today itself.

Semi-final Results:
Nov 22: ONGC (Mumbai) vs Abahani Limited (Dhaka) 5-4 (in sudden death penalty shootout; 0-0 after regulation and extra times)
Nov 21: Port Authority (Bangkok) vs Oil India Limited (Duliajan) 2-1

Source: The Sentinel