BPCL Stay Perfect at Murugappa Gold Cup as Malaysia Juniors Run Out of Steam
Three minutes. That’s all it took for BPCL to settle Monday’s big Murugappa Gold Cup tie against Malaysia’s juniors, and in truth the 1-0 scoreline flattered the visitors.
Sudeep Chirmako got the only goal of the game almost straight from the push-back at the SDAT Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai. A long aerial from near halfway found a teammate at the right post, the ball was squared across, and Chirmako was standing exactly where a striker should be. Job done, three minutes in.
After that it became a story of missed chances. BPCL ran the game, raided the Malaysian circle again and again, and still couldn’t add a second. Devindar Walmiki even missed a penalty stroke in the 36th minute, dragging it wide. Malaysia, to their credit, hung in there and had their moment in the 44th minute, but Gunaseelan Dheeressh’s penalty-corner drag-flick was blocked by an alert BPCL defender. Two more BPCL corners came and went in the final seconds. One goal was enough.
Context matters here, though. This Malaysia junior side had lifted the Sultan of Johor Cup in Johor Bahru on Saturday night and only landed in Chennai on Sunday. Two days, two countries, one very short turnaround. By the second half, tired legs were doing a lot of the talking.
BPCL are now three wins from three in Pool B, and they’re closing in on the semi-finals. That’s the kind of run that wins tournaments: not always pretty, but ruthless enough when it counts.
The day’s other confirmed result was a rout in Pool A. Indian Army put five past Punjab National Bank, winning 5-2, with goals from Dhariyashil Jadhav, Ankush, Cyril Lugun, Rohit Irengbam and Ritendra. Naveen Antil and Abhimanyu replied for PNB, but the game was never really in doubt once Army got going. It’s a big result for Army’s own semi-final hopes in a Pool A race that’s still wide open.
The semi-finals are set for 31 October, with the final under lights on 1 November. BPCL look like the team to beat right now. For our money, the rest of the field has to find a way to stop Chirmako and company before they run away with Pool B entirely.
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