Manipur boys cruise into SFs
Utlou High School from Bishnupur (Manipur) blanked 14 Manipur Bn NCC 4-0 while Chandigarh’s Government Model High School shaded State Sports Academy from Dimapur 3-2 to enter the Under-14 sub-junior boys’ semifinals of the 58th Subroto Cup football tournament in the capital on Sunday.
The Utlou boys were right on the money from the whistle. Passing well and keeping the midfield busy they worked like a professional outfit to open their account in the fifth minute through Jackson.
However, the NCC boys put in some brave efforts to find the equaliser but Charles Thongbram was a hard nut to crack under the Manipur bar as he was helped by a solid defence line. Even as the NCC outfit took their chance with some deep inroads, a counter-attack by the Bishnupur boys provided their second goal when Radhakanta booted in to consolidate their position in the 21st minute.
Within seven minutes, Issac Letminlen added to their tally for an unassailable lead. But that was not the end of misery for the NCC boys as Jackson (40th) scored his second goal to put the match beyond their opponents’ reach.
In contrast to the first quarterfinal, the second one was actionpacked with the two teams conceding very little ground. Yet, it was the Chandigarh boys who had the last laugh to earn a semifinal meeting with the Utlou High School boys.
Model High School went ahead in the 15th minute through midfielder Balraj’s excellent placement, but Tongitinlen equalised six minutes later for the Dimapur outfit.
Soon after changing ends, the teams attacked making deep inroads into the rival area. Seizing one such moment in the 41st minute, Tongitinlen found the target to put his team ahead.
Unable to find the equaliser in the face of a tight defence Chandigarh were desperate. However, Napoleon came to their rescue with a neatly placed ball inside the net in the 52nd minute.
With time running out, Chandigarh pressured their rivals with good forays and in the 63rd minute Karandeep dodged past a couple of defenders to slot in the winner.