KGF inch closer to crown
Football BDFA League: Kumar’s hat-trick helps LRDE ease past Dharmaraja
Stephen and Rajesh Junior struck a hat-trick each as KGF Sports Academy thumped BEL Sports Club 8-1 to strengthen their title ambitions in the BDFA Super Division league at the Bangalore Football stadium on Friday.
KGF Academy have 16 points from seven matches after the win and can claim the crown if they register victories in the next two matches against Students Union and ASC. Meanwhile, BEL have been relegated to ‘A’ Division after a disappointing season losing all their nine games.
Sureen gave BEL the lead in the third minute but it was a one-way affair after that.
Stephen (6th, 50th, 76th) and Rajesh (65th, 69th, 85th) were the chief architects for KGF along with Kalandar (37th, 41st).
The game began with BEL surprising themselves and the crowd as Sureen smashed a peach of a goal from outside the penalty area in the third minute. But Stephen soon equalised for KGF Academy in the sixth minute with a miscued chipped shot from the left that went past BEL custodian Vasudevan.
Kalandar made it 2-1 in the 37th minute off a timely through ball by Stephen. He completed his brace in the 41st minute converting a penalty that was awarded when BEL captain Nagaraj brought down Rajesh inside the box. BEL were up against it going into the break.
When play resumed, things went from bad to worse for the relegated side. In the 50th minute, Stephen tapped in a off a Murugappan corner for KGF Academy’s fourth goal. Rajesh joined the party in the 65th minute when he fired home off a Madhu Karan pass.
It was 6-1 in the 69th minute as Rajesh slammed the ball in off a Murugappan pass. Stephen netted his third goal in the 76th minute when he scored from the right with Murugappan passing again.
In the 85th minute, Rajesh pounded the eighth goal through a penalty after KGF Academy’s Amoes was felled by a reckless tackle from Vasudevan who was shown the red card by the referee Vijay Kumar.
Dilip manned the goal for BEL in the last five minutes as KGF Academy took three valuable points.
‘A’ Division: LRDE: 4 (Kumar S 1st, 22nd, 70th, Mani P 78th) bt Dharmaraja Union: 1 (John Peter 73rd).
