By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Three second half goals saw Manipur come from a goal behind to defeat Sikkim in the eighth match of the Dr T Ao Memorial Football Tournament at the JN Stadium, Polo, on Thursday.
Group B leaders and defending champions, Mizoram, meanwhile, qualified for the semifinals by beating Tripura 3-0 in the afternoon match.
There was good challenging play from Sikkim early on and they were more energetic in the field than their fancied rivals, with every footballer playing his role perfectly.
After threatening to score a number of times, Bir Bahadur Pradhan opened Sikkim’s account in the 16th minute. A cross from the right flank found Pradhan open in the box and he smashed a right-footer into the net for a deserved goal.
A hard challenge by a Sikkim defender just three yards outside their own box saw Manipur with a good opportunity to level the score with a free kick in the 34th minute. Kh Naoton took the shot, but it went wide of the left post.
They then won a penalty in the 37th minute. A throw-in led to a goal mouth melee and a resulting foul on a Manipur player won them a golden chance.
Md Sohail stepped up to take the shot, but Nim Tenzing Lepcha was up to the task. Diving full to his left, he blocked the ball and easily claimed the rebound.
Two minutes of stoppage time did not see Manipur score, although they were the more attacking side, and the first half ended 1-0 in Sikkim’s favour.
While they had the lead, Sikkim would have been wary after losing to Mizoram in their first match on Tues-day even though they were leading 3-1 at one stage.
Into the second session, and after struggling for half an hour in search of the equaliser, Manipur scored their first goal in the 51st minute through O Pitlar.
A long ball drew the Sikkim keeper forward but he couldn’t collect cleanly and Pilar was on hand to fire the ball into the net.
Another chance in the 55th minute almost yielded the lead to Manipur.
Md Imran Khan took the ball up the right flank and neatly passed it to Naoton but the latter couldn’t finish the job.
Sikkim started to respond around the hour mark, but their plays were prone to errors that didn’t exist in the first half.
Most of the team fielded by the tiny Himalayan state were relative youngsters and they may have been lacking in stamina to see the game through, leading to crucial mistakes.
In the first half their performance was notable for the deft touches and clever passes between the players as they ran rings around Manipur, but they couldn’t maintain that high quality of football.
These errors came to cost Sikkim in the 69th minute when the diminutive Md Imran Khan burst past a line of defenders who were caught napping following a long ball forward and, with only the keeper standing in his way, shot the ball into the back of the net to take his side 2-1 up, which led to the already vocal Manipur fans bursting into song.
Naoton put the game out of reach of Sikkim with the fourth goal of the match in the 76th minute.
The defence was slow to react once again and, with the keeper drawn out of the goalmouth, Naoton swerved around the opposition and put the ball into the net.
This win will help Manipur in their search for a semifinal berth, following their 1-1 draw with Tripura on Tuesday. With two losses, Sikkim are effectively out of the tournament, even though they provided highly entertaining football.
In the earlier match, the first half ended 0-0 as Mizoram and Tripura failed to capitalise on the chances they created.
The spectators had to wait until the 64th minute for a goal when Mizoram took the lead through F Lalrinpuia, through a long range shot that beat Tripura goalkeeper Lalraut Fela.
Last year’s champions then took firm control of the game with a second goal in the 83rd minute by Lallawnzuala.
Then, two minutes into stoppage time, substitute Lalchuantlianga scored the third for his team.
Mizoram have booked themselves a place in the semifinal, with Manipur and Tripura battling it out for the second spot from the group.
Manipur, with four points, take on Mizoram on Saturday at 5pm and will need a draw to qualify, even if Tripura (with one point) beat Sikkim in the earlier match, which starts at 1pm.
On Friday, Group A leaders Meghalaya will face Assam at 5pm. The hosts are all but guaranteed a place in the semis as they have six points and a goal difference of +7.
Assam are in second with three points, tied with Arunachal (who play last-placed Nagaland at 1pm), but ahead by one goal.
