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.
Ronaldo faces disciplinary hearing over goal celebration. Uefa said the Portuguese would face a hearing on Thursday for "improper conduct" during the last-16 second leg match, where Juventus
Champions League: Ronaldo faces disciplinary hearing over
Tottenham's first home game at their new stadium has been provisionally confirmed, with Spurs set to host Crystal Palace on Wednesday, April 3.. Spurs confirmed last week that they had held talks
Football: 10-man Schalke draw blank ahead of Man City clash BERLIN (AFP) - Schalke 04 warmed-up for the Champions League visit of Manchester City with a goalless draw at home to fellow Bundesliga strugglers Freiburg on Saturday (Feb 16).
Ten-man Schalke draw blank ahead of Man City clash
BERLIN (REUTERS) - Premier League's Watford were made to sweat to beat lowly Championship club Queens Park Rangers 1-0 on Friday (Feb 15) and book their spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals for the
Watford squeeze past QPR into FA Cup last eight - Reuters
Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min told his South Korea team-mates "we're better than that" after they needed extra time to scrape past Bahrain's part-timers 2-1 in the Asian Cup last 16 on Tuesday. Kim Jin-su's diving header at the end of the first extra period was all that separated South Korea
Football: Son says South Korea need to be 'better' at Asian
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is aiming to reintroduce the fearless football that Manchester United played under Sir Alex Ferguson. Solskjaer, who scored 91 goals in 235 Premier League appearances as a striker for United, has taken charge at Old Trafford until the end of the season. His first match on
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer aims cheeky dig at Liverpool - The
Mar 18, 2019 · Ole Gunnar Solskjaer As Solskjær soars, how many extra points does a manager really add? For all the praise lavished on the likeable Norwegian, I remain glued to the fence. Don't get me wrong.
Wolves 2-1 Man Utd: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants five wins for
Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney says the current crop of players must begin to "fear" manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the team to be successful again. Rooney, United's all-time top
Man United's players deserve scrutiny, but so does Solskjaer
Man City appeal against possible Champions League ban
Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri was branded a 's*** Italian' by members of the Burnley backroom staff during Monday evening's Premier League draw, reports claim. Sarri was sent off in the
Chelsea boss Sarri on Burnley insults: Let's leave it on the
Griezmann on target again as Atletico edge closer to Barca
Spain's Sergio Ramos celebrates scoring their first goal during the match Euro 2020 Qualifier Group F between Spain vs Sweden at Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain, June 10, 2019. Spain made it four wins out of four and took full control of their Euro 2020 qualifying group by seeing off closest challengers Sweden 3-0 at home.
Spain beat Sweden, take charge in qualifying quest
0 comments:
Post a Comment