FC Nania Win India Tourney

FC Nania of Ghana ended its sojourn to Kerala on a high note by winning the inaugural E.K. Nayanar Memorial Gold Cup international football tournament at the Municipal Jawahar Stadium last Tuesday.

FC Nania mauled Viva Kerala of India 3-0 in an encounter shorn off the excitement normally associated with a final.

The Kochi side was outclassed by its superior rival in all departments of the game. Viva missed its creative midfielder Shineraj badly. Both Baba Tunde and Anil Kumar were rendered ineffective by lack of incisive passes from the midfield and by the tightly packed Nania defence.

It will be a match Baba Tunde would like to forget in a hurry.

The striker was found wanting in converting the half-chances that came his way, and in the first half, a golden chance that would have changed the script for his side.

The Ghanaians scored through Nartey Ebenezer (40th and 45th) and Charles Boateng (66th). It could have won by a bigger margin had it not slowed down the proceedings in the second half.

The Ghanaians dominated the match from the start. They earned at least eight corners in the first 30 minutes as the Viva goal lived dangerously.

Nania are due back in Accra tomorrow.