Santosh Trophy: Manipur outclass Assam 7-1 to clinch berth in semifinals

Our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI: Assam bowed out from the 77th Santosh Trophy Football suffering a heavy 1-7 defeat against former champion Manipur in the third quarter-final at the Golden Jubilee Stadium, Itanagar today. Sadananda Singh scored a hat-trick in the game.

Manipur surged to a 4-0 lead within 20 minutes, thus virtually eliminating any chances of an Assam comeback. W Sadananda Singh scored a hat-trick (11’,16’, 70’), skipper Phijam Sanathoi Meetei (4’), Ngangbam Pacha Singh (19’), Maibam Deny Singh (82’) and Imarson Meitei (88’) were the other scorers for the winners.  However, Assam managed to salvage some pride with a second-half goal through Joydeep Gogoi.

Assam booked their berth in the quarter finals securing fourth place in group ‘A’. Although the soccer lovers of Assam expected a good contest but Manipur, played brilliant football, made it a one sided affair.

Phijam Sanathoi Meetei opened the scoring as he seized the opportunity in the 4th minute from Sadananda Singh’s pass outside the box to sneak the ball past Assam goalkeeper Abhinash Mech.

This was his 11th goal in this edition, making him the leading scorer in the competition. This early goal set the tone for Manipur’s dominance, with Sanathoi Meetei proving to be a constant thorn in Assam’s flesh throughout the match because of his attacking prowess.

Sadananda Singh made it 2-0 with a diving header in the 11th minute, capitalising on a precise pass from Ngathem Imarson Meitei from the left flank. Manipur continued to pound their rivals, with Sadananda Singh securing his second goal in the 16th minute after a well-coordinated set-up from Sanathoi Meetei. Sadananda placed the ball perfectly into the left corner of the net.

Assam’s fortunes were further dented in the 19th minute when Manipur was awarded a penalty after left back Urjoy Brahma fouled the Manipur captain, Sanathoi Meetei, inside the box. Ngangbam Pacha Singh made no mistake from the spot kick, slotting the ball into the top corner of the net.

Assam scored their only goal in the 64th minute through Joydeep Gogoi who came in as a substitute. Akrang Narzary dribbled past a defender and passed it for Joydeep, whose curling shot found the target from a distance. 

In the 70th minute, Sadananda completed his hat-trick with a header from inside the box and in the 82nd minute, Manipur’s left full-back, Deny Singh, calmly found the back of the net off a pass from Singam Subash Singh. Imarson Meitei completed the tally in the 88th minute.

Also Read: Santosh Trophy Football: Assam to face Manipur in quarter finals today

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