SINGAPORE - When Akbar Nawas took over as head coach of Chennai City last year, the Indian football club had only three games to stave off relegation from the I-League.
They beat Churchill Brothers 3-1, lost 7-1 to East Bengal, before securing safety with a 2-1 win over Minerva Punjab in their final match.
A year later, former Tampines Rovers coach Akbar, assisted by ex-Hougang United coach and fellow Singaporean K. Balagumaran, helped Chennai complete a remarkable turnaround after Saturday's (March 9) come-from-behind 3-1 win over Minerva at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Tamil Nadu sealed a first league title for both club and coach.
With 13 wins, four draws and three defeats, they amassed 43 points, one ahead of second-placed East Bengal.
It is believed that the duo are the first Singaporean coaches to win a professional football league title outside of South-east Asia.
And they did it in swashbuckling style, scoring 48 goals in 20 matches, and never relinquishing their place at the top of the 11-team league from the third match week.
The Times of India summarised their triumph as "befitting their dominant campaign, the fulcrum of which was a sustained possession-based football".
Akbar, 43, told The Straits Times: "It is a great satisfaction after accepting the challenge of taking over a relegation-threatened team, and then winning the league within a year.
"Our team perform best when we are chasing the game. Thus, we didn't panic when we were behind (against Minerva on Saturday). I told the team we must end every attack with a chance at goal. I was pretty confident we could bounce back and win like we had done before."
Â
His sidekick Balagumaran, 54, added: "It is so overwhelming, I don't know if we are still in a dream.
"When we got here, the players we had were not from football academies, they were from the streets and so unpolished.
"Many of them are playing in their first professional season and now they have won their first professional league title.
"Personally, it is also the highlight of my career, but I hope there is more to come, and I also hope this opens the door for more Singaporean coaches to venture abroad."
With the league win, Chennai are eligible for the 2020 AFC Champions League qualifiers.
La Liga: Barcelona give fresh hope to rivals after Athletic Bilbao stalemate Description: The draw makes it three games without a win for La Liga's leaders, whose advantage is still six points but now with Real Madrid their closest challengers, after they beat Atletico.
Barca give fresh hope to La Liga rivals after Bilbao stalemate
Here are 10 tips for creating a youth ministry from scratch with Sticky Faith principles in mind: Gather a team and listen closely. In the Launch Kit we suggest that leaders start implementing Sticky Faith by assembling a team (any group with a stake in young people should be represented) and beginning a listening campaign.
3 Common Traits of Youth Who Don't Leave the Church
Youthful talent gives England a bright future, says Henderson Odoi and 20-year-old Declan Rice joining an England squad already bolstered by the rise of Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus
England: Jordan Henderson reveals honest thoughts on West Ham
Crystal Palace put a dent in Arsenal's Champions League qualification hopes after strikers Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha made the most of defensive errors in a 3-2 win at the Emirates
Football: Palace punish sloppy Arsenal in 3-2 win at the Emirates
'We have to improve mentally and have a spirit of sacrifice': Gianluigi Buffon sends warning to PSG team-mates ahead of Manchester United clash Wenger steals the show as he Neymar rejects
Former Football Association of Singapore (FAS) General Secretary, Winston Lee informed the FAS of his decision to withdraw his candidacy for the AFC Executive Committee (Asean Zone) in the 29th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress and had submitted the withdrawal letter to the AFC to this
Football: Singapore beat Solomon Islands 4-3 in Tatsuma
sports-life-news.com/soccer/football-singapore-beat-solomon-islands-4-3-in-tatsuma-yoshidas-first-game-in-charge/
Singapore equalised in the 67th minute when Shahdan's free-kick eluded everyone and beat Mango. But the Lions continued to display poor technique in the second half as Zulfahmi Arifin's casual pass in the 75th minute resulted in a fast break for the visitors, and Benjamin Totori beat Safuwan Baharudin and Izwan at the near post to restore the Solomon Islands' lead.
Former FAS General Secretary, Winston Lee withdraws candidacy
Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 First Leg - Olympique Lyonnais v FC Barcelona - Groupama Stadium, Lyon, France - February 19, 2019 Barcelona's Lionel Messi shoots at goal from a free
Football: Wasteful Barca held to goalless draw at defiant Lyon
By starting both Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane against Premier League champions Chelsea, you can tell Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has a lot of confidence in the young pair. They rewarded their manager with yet another fine performance as City walked away from Stamford Bridge with a 1-0 win and in truth they bossed the encounter.
Sterling by Music Man Ray35 StingRay Electric Bass - zZounds
MOSCOW (AFP) - Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho embarrassingly slipped after presenting a symbolic face-off to a match in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on Monday (Feb 4)..
Mourinho humiliated by fall at Russian hockey league face-off
What Are Wolf Adaptations? Home Pets & Animals Mammals Wolves Wolves have several key adaptations to help them survive: they have strong hind limbs, feet with five specialized toes and sturdy teeth to facilitate survival in harsh conditions.
Canadian Wolves Are Being Airdropped Into Michigan For A
Brighton seal FA Cup semi spot after beating Millwall on penalties The other semi-final will be contested between Watford and Wolves after Nuno Espirito Santo's men dumped Manchester United out of
FA Cup 2019: Manchester City set to face Watford in final at
Pablo Fornals' Late Show Stuns Frustrated Champions Fornals goal as Villarreal earned a smash-and-grab 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu. by a poor one-on-one miss by Ronaldo and some good
Toni Kroos Winner Rescues Real Madrid, Atletico Lose More
0 comments:
Post a Comment