NFC for Santosh Trophy : Samson scores late as Manipur begin campaign with 1-0 win
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 08 2023:
Samson came off the bench late to earn Manipur a slender 1-0 win over Tamil Nadu in the Group C opening match of the 77th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy 2023-24 which kicked off today in Greater Noida.
The game at Vijay Singh Pathak Stadium in Greater Noida was a tense affair towards the break after a cautious start.
The second half looked calmer with both ends having picked two yellow cards each and the game almost looked to end in a goalless draw despite attempts on rare occasions.
Super sub Samson who came in for Wangkheimayum Sadananda late in the 87th minute converted a change two minutes into his entry to change the complexion of the game.
Tamil Nadu toiled hard in the final minutes to pull level but Manipur successfully saw out the game 1-0 to earn first three points.
Manipur are drawn together with Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand in Group C.Manipur play Uttar Pradesh next on October 10 before facing Nagaland on October 12, Madhya Pradesh on October 15 and Jharkhand on October 17 .