Chandigarh lads bow to Mizoram in soccer

More than Assam, who were sitting pretty, Mizoram needed a win to push Punjab out of reckoning. And the Mizo boys did exactly that with a fine 4-0 win over Chandigarh in a one-sided affair to log 12 points from four games. Punjab, who also notched up a facile 2-1 win over Orissa, collected just six points from as many outings.

Assam outplayed Madhya Pradesh for a 5-0 verdict while in another inconsequential match Jammu and Kashmir trounched Himachal Pradesh 7-1 to register their first victory. Himachal ended the preliminary league without picking a point from four games.

The Mizo boys, who have been displaying a good game so far, did not disappoint the sparse Sunday crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium ground. With a determination to oust Punjab, who were playing their game against Orissa at another ground, started rather slowly but picked up momentum midway through.

Their midfield worked in cohesion with their speedy forwards and it was evident witthin 20 minutes of the game who will be the eventual winner. L.V. Luaia opened the account with a scorcher in the 31st minute to take his tally of goals to 11, so far the highest in the championship. They did not do much in the remaining period but once they came back after the break, the pressure was definitely on their opponents.

Zoduhliana struck the second and soon it was 3-0 when H.T. Sangha placed one at the far corner. Lal Ramhluna, on his part, struck the fourth one to complete the tally. The Chandigarh lads, who had been mere spectators, could not do anything against a strong Mizo defence and they ended the tourney with four points.

Assam, who had three good wins before this one, simply went through the motion toying with their opponents from Madhya Pradesh. Striker Akbar Singh put Assam ahead in the 11th minute and after change of ends, Sangeeva Rongpi consolidated with fine placement in the 49th minute. This opened the floodgates as Akbar struck twice more in a span of five minutes to seale MP’s fate.

Needing a convincing win, Punjab strangely found themselves at the receiving end when they took on Orissa at Thyagaraj Nagar Sports Complex. Though Punjab took the lead through Manpreet Singh as early as in the fifth minute, S.K. Sagar’s strike in the seventh minute for Orissa left Punjab in a daze as they went into their shell.

Even after the break, the deadlock continued as Orissa fortified themselves with a strong defence to send Punjab forwards scurrying for gaps. However, Punjab struck the match-winner through Manjinder Singh in the 77th minute but then it was of no avail.

JK boys will return home on a happy note, having earned their first full points when they handed out a drubbing to HP. Ishfaq Ahmed (4), Sheikh Rizwan (2) and Sonu Kumar were the scorers for JK and for HP Rajat netted the consolation goal.

The quarter-final league begins with holders Bengal taking on Uttar Pradesh in the opening game followed by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu match tomorrow.

Group 1: Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Group 2: Bihar, Assam, Delhi and Mizoram.