SHILLONG, MARCH 18: Skipper Niwan O Gatpoh’s hat-trick helped host Meghalaya post a comfortable victory over Arunachal Pradesh 3-0 in the second match of the 4th Dr. T. Ao Memorial Football tournament at the JN Sports Complex here on Monday.
Meghalaya dominated the match, which was played under lights for the first time in the state, and the score line could have been much more flattering for the home team, but for the efforts of the Arunachali goalie Tadu Taku, who made a number of good saves. Skipper Gatpoh himself hit the bar on two occasions before breaking the deadlock in the 28 minute with a long-ranger.
After the changeover, Gatpoh added to his and the team’s tally, coolly tapping home a ball that had rebounded from the goalie in the 53rd minute of the game. It was again the home skipper netted the third goal In the 87th minute.
Earlier, in the opening match of the tournament, Assam blanked Nagaland 2-0.
In a lackluster match that was mostly confined to the midfield, Assam took advantage of their second-half dominance to open their account in the tournament which is played between the eight north-eastern states. For Assam, the goal scorers were Biswajit Swarkiyari in the 66th minute and Biswamitra Basumatary in the 84th minute.
Nagaland, which had the better of the exchanges in the first half, missed a penalty in the 37thminute when Lipok’s shot was saved brilliantly by the Assam goalkeeper Dulu Gogoi. In fact, Gogoi performed brilliantly under the bar to foil the Naga attacks, particularly in the first half. (By Our Reporter)
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