17-Jan-2010 129
Yajdhani Club-73 of Bhubaneswar beat Mumbai United 2-1 in the final to lift the trophy in the 6th All-India Biju Patnaik Memorial Football Tournament at the Ispat Stadium in Rourkela today. After a barren first half, Prasant Nayak gave Club-73 the lead in the 55th minute. Seven minutes later, man of the match Santosh Nayak increased the lead to 2-0. Francisco reduced the margin for Mumbai United, scoring the solitary goal in the 68th minutes. Francisco was also adjudged man of the tournament.
The champions walked away with the top prize of Rs 50,000, while the runners-up pocketed Rs 30,000. Rourkela Steel Plant Managing Director S N Singh and hockey great Dilip Tirkey gave away the trophy and cash prizes at the valedictory function. Altogether 10 teams participated in the tournament. Earlier in the semifinals, Club-73 defeated SAI (Bangalore), while Mumbai United edged past Tata Football Academy.
