Manipur dominated their cluster VI match against Uttrakhand at Thiruvallore, in the 63rd National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy and to win the encounter 9-0 and pocket three points on Monday.
Manipur dominated the game and had better ball possession but they failed to find the back of the net till 33rd minute. Uttrakhand had just one man upront and were relying more on their defence line that managed to hold the victors before a powerful shot from Bisheshwor Singh 30 yard shot left the Uttrakhand custodian stranded beneath the bar to give his team a 1-0 lead.
The goal gave them the much needed confidence as twelve minutes later they found the back of the net to increase the lead in a similar fashion but this time it was a shot from Bijen Singh that helped them take a 2-0 lead. In the injury time of the first half Manipur capitalized on the situation as Reisangmi Vashum was left unmarked inside the penalty area and his shot at the far post ensured that Manipur was 3-0 ahead in the lemon break.
As the match entered into the second half Manipur were much more aggressive as Subash Singh extended the lead in the 59th minute. Reisangmi Vashum was at his best as he found the back of the net in the 63rd minute to score his second goal of the evening.
Bisheshwor Singh also added one more to his tally in the 73rd minute to take the lead to 6-0 and four minutes later Subash Singh scored his brace. But it was certainly Vashum’s day as he scored his hat-trick in the 89th minute and in the injury time Joychandra Singh added his name to scoring sheet to help Manipur score a convincing 9-0 win.
Source: the-aiff.com
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Monday 25 May 2009, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.