CC meet Pre-Quarter Final round kicks off : NISA make the cut with a 2-0 win over KYIC
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 27 2013 :
Riding on a brace from L Sanatomba, North Imphal Sporting Association, Thangmeiband strode into the quarter final stage of the 57th edition of the CC Meet at Mapal Kangjeibung today against Kshetri Iril Mapal Youth Club (KYIC) .
The convincing win of 2-0 however did not reflect the true momentum of the game as the young players from KYIC kept the famed strikers of NISA with some tight man to man marking.
The match started off dourly, with each team testing the other, but it was NISA which had better ball possession and made repeated forays into the citadel of KYIC.
A glimpse of the final outcome of the match was demonstrated as early as the 20th minute of the first half, when G Golmei missed a golden opportunity.
Latching on the ball on the side of KYIC, Golmei beat a couple of defenders and let go a powerful shot, only to see the ball flying over the bar.
Even though NISA seemed to dominate the match, it was a see-saw battle with the KYIC players relying on swift counter attacks, but none of the counter attacks proved dangerous enough to pose a threat to the NISA goalkeeper.
Despite repeated raids, the KYIC defenders did a commendable job in marking the strikers of NISA to keep their citadel intact and the first half ended in a goalless draw.
The second half started off on a brisk pace, with the NISA coach pulling out a trump card by introducing veteran Jimmy in place of Nilakumar.
With Jimmy spearheading the attack, the onslaughts of NISA became more incisive and dangerous, catching the KYIC defenders on the wrong foot on a couple of occasions.
However it was not until the 65th minute that NISA was able to break the deadlock and open their account.
With quick passes and incisive attacks, G Golmei made his way to the other side of KYIC and floated a pass from the left flank.
L Sanatomba who had positioned himself well in front of the KYIC goal, rose to the occasion and headed the ball, which found the net, sending cheers amongst the NISA fans who had turned up in good number.
Undaunted by the setback, KYIC launched a series of counter attacks, only to be thwarted by the NISA defenders.
The fancier NISA side added one more goal in the 84th minute to seal the fate, with Sanatomba finding the target for the second time.
Marshalling the attack, Jimmy managed to outwit a couple of KYIC defenders and sent a through pass from near the top of the box.
Sanatomba rose to the occasion and after latching onto the ball, controlled it and let loose a powerful shot that beat the KYIC goalkeeper hands down.
With two goals in the pre-quarter final match, Sanatomba has three goals in his kitty in the tournament so far.
The hard fought match saw some hard tackling with the referee pulling out the yellow cards on two occasions.
Defender P Romesh of NISA was cautioned in the 77th minute of the match for tackling from behind while Th Rabichandra, a defender of KYIC was also booked for the same offence.
With the 2-0 win, NISA have become the first local team to reach the quarter finals of the CC Meet football tourney.
They scheduled to meet Reitlang Football Club, Mizoram who were seeded directly in the quarter final stage on January 6 .
Tomorrow TRAU will meet YDO in the second pre-quarter finals of the ongoing CC Meet football tournament.
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