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I-League: Chennai beat Minerva to throw title race open (Lead)
Coimbatore, March 2 (IANS) Chennai City FC registered a stunning 2-1 win over table-toppers Minerva Punjab FC to blow the I-League title race wide open here on Friday.
Soosairaj opened the scoring for Chennai in the fifth minute before Chencho Gyeltshen restored parity in the 26th minute.
Chennai City FC’s new recruit Aleksander Rakic beat the offside trap on the hour-mark to get the lead once again which eventually, proved the difference between the two teams.
Chennai City thus leapfrogged Churchill Brothers FC with 19 points from 18 matches.
Minerva Punjab FC are still leading the race with 32 points from 17 matches but East Bengal, Neroca FC and Mohun Bagan are still very much alive in the title hunt.
Chennai City stunned Minerva Punjab five minutes into the match with a hammer-blow from skipper Soosairaj.
Edwin Vanspaul’s cross from the right fell to the Indian midfielder inside the box and although his initial shot towards goal was kept out by Minerva goalkeeper Kiran Limbu, he made no mistake on his second try to give the home side an unexpected lead.
The early goal was the wake-up alarm that the Minerva players needed. Chencho Gyeltshen started getting involved in the game immediately.
In the 15th minute, the Bhutan international nutmegged two Chennai defenders before surging into the box. But Kabir was alert to rush off his line and collect the ball before the Bhutanese could get a shot away.
In the 22nd minute, Kabir came up with a brilliant diving save to his right to keep out a curling free-kick effort by William Opoku that looked destined to hit the net.
The much-anticipated equaliser came four minutes later when Amandeep Singh tested the Chennai backline with a long ball into the box for Chencho.
The ‘Bhutanese Ronaldo’ brought the ball down with his feet before sending a powerful effort into the net to make it 1-1.
Chennai City could have dampened Minerva’s hopes a minute later when Sebastian’s through-ball reached Aleksander Rakic’s feet but the forward placed his shot inches wide of Limbu’s goal.
Soosairaj’s curling free-kick was punched out by Kiran at the stroke of half-time but the scorer of the opening goal soon turned provider at the hour-mark to help Chennai City regain their lead.
The Indian midfielder’s through-ball found Rakic inside the box and the foreign forward made amends for his earlier miss by slotting the ball home.
A desperate Minerva piled up the pressure in the dying stages of the match but were not able to break open a sturdy Chennai City backline who did just enough to register a full-time result that threw the title race wide open.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.