Army draw first blood

Army Red got the better of an inexperienced Pune FC and beat them 2-0 to kick start their Durand Cup campaign at the Ambedkar stadium on Monday.

Army Red got the better of an inexperienced Pune FC and beat them 2-0 to kick start their Durand Cup campaign at the Ambedkar stadium on Monday. The Army side opened their account with a penalty in the 37th minute and doubled their lead in the 87th minute through a goal from striker C Lallidianmawaya. Army Red next play ONGC,the other side in their group,on Wednesday.

As soon as the referee whistled the match open,Army Red stepped on the gas and pressed hard through the midfield. Left winger Lalramneingmawia combined well with Lallidianmawaya,and forced a number of attacks. But their efforts lacked penetration and direction; only twice in the first half did they get their shots on target. All that changed in the 36th minute.

Receiving the ball from Lalramneingmawia,Lallidianmawaya charged towards goal from the left side of the area. In trying to narrow his angle,Pune FC goalie Shahin Lal Meloly brought the Army striker down. The referee was quick to award Army a penalty. Defender Vipin TV showed no nerves and found the top of the net to open their account.

“I thought our keeper shouldn’t have attempted to tackle once he had taken him away from goal. But generally our defence lacked quality. This side is a junior side and I think they were under pressure. Also we haven’t trained as a team for long and that was visible from our performance,” said Pune FC coach Naushad Moosa.

The second half was also one-sided. Just two minutes after the break,Army Red brought the half-full stadium to its feet before drawing forth a collective groan. Right winger Arjun Tudu sprinted towards the box,and passed the ball to Lallidianmawaya,who dodged two defenders before squaring across the goal. But Lalramneingmawia,dashing in from the left wing,couldn’t reach the ball in time.

In the 87th minute,just as the Army fans began to leave the stadium,Lallidianmawaya broke past the tired Pune backline to latch on to a through ball before feinting past the keeper and slotting home.

Tuesday’s fixtures: Mumbai Tigers vs Assam Regimental Centre,1.30 pm; Kalighat Milan Sangh vs Army Green,3.30 pm

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