Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 08:
Giving a strong signal to rivals competing at the 4Sth edition of the All India Sir Churachand Singh KCSI, CBE Memorial Invitation Football Tournament, former champion Neroca, Laipham Khunou demolished Juvenile Association, Kakching 5-0 at Mapal Kangjeibung today.
Opening its campaign in the prestigious tournament, Neroca, who finished runners-up in 2002 exhibited far more superior skill and team cohesion to knock their relatively hew opponent out of the tournament in a preliminary match today.
That Neroca worked as a well oiled machine to wreak havoc at the opponent citadel can be assumed from the fact that all the goals were scored by different players.
Initial resistance put up by the young Kakching outfit finally caved in due to repeated onslaught of Neroca players with lanky striker Sabir Shah finding the top of the Juvenile net in the 30th minute off a cross from the right by K Premjit.
After the opening goal, the former winner held sway and providing little opportunity to the rival strikers to have a peep at the goal doubled the lead in the 50th minute when a P Somorendro-Premjit combination culminated in Kh Ramesh ruffling the Juvenile net.
Five minutes later, the Juvenile woes compounded when defender Inao deflected into his own net trying to clear a harmless looking cross by M Sanatomba from the right flank.
The desperation of the Kakching players to prevent further embarrassment resulted in Sebastian receiving a yellow card in the 58th for a foul against Neroca's H Jiten.
Relentless thronging of the Kakching citadel produced the fourth Neroca goal when Somorendro slammed home 20 minutes from time following a well placed header from Ramesh that found the scorer within striking distance.
The diminutive H Amarjit completed the Juvenile rout through an 89th minute header as Neroca recorded the biggest win of the tournament so far.