JOIN USBelow-par HASC blank BEL
Hindustan Aeronautics Sports Club (HASC) were not at their best but still managed to overwhelm Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) 3-0 in the opening match of the BDFA Super Division league championship at the Bangalore Football stadium on Tuesday.
HASC’s goals came through Deepak Prakash in the 36th minute, Hamza (79th) and Malengamba Meitei (80th).
The first 15 minutes saw both teams rusty and struggling to find their feet. HASC expectedly showed more promise with Meitei in the company of Deepak and Vinod Kumar creating a few good moves.
Meitei was in action in the 19th minute as he fired a powerful right-footer from outside the box that went over the crosspiece, the first real chance.
In the 36th minute, Deepak made no mistake as he used the space inside the box well, heading home a Meitei cross from the right. Buoyed by the lead, the Aircraftmen went on the offensive but goals eluded them. In the 39th minute, Gautam Debnath was slow to reach a Vinod Kumar pass from outside the box with plenty of space to shoot. BEL defenders were alert as well, averting further damage as the teams went to half-time with no further addition to the score.
The second half saw BEL playing a more lively brand of football. Finishing and at times lack of imagination in midfield were their undoing, though. Arvind made a couple of attempts on goal, the first in the 51st minute going straight to HASC custodian Pramod and the second in the 62nd going just wide.
Hamza, who came in for RC Prakash in the 55th minute, then doubled HASC’s lead with a 79th-minute header off a Debnath corner from the left. Going for the kill, the HASC forwardline galvanised itself with a goal looking imminent. In the 80th minute, the Hamza-Meitei combine made it 3-0, the former lobbing a perfect cross from the left and the latter slotting the ball home comfortably.
BEL tried desperately to make something out of the final minutes but HASC gave them no room as they pocketed the full three points.
Other result: ‘A’ Division: BUFC: 3 (Clivert 35th, 53rd, 58th) bt Southern Blues: 2 (Chandrashekar 4th, Stephen 67th).