BEML demolish Chandni; Malabar soar to the top

Malabar moved to eight points from four matches, one point ahead of BEML, who lie in second spot.

With less than five minutes remaining for the final whistle, Malabar and Threads were locked 1-1 and it seemed as if the match was heading for a draw. However, Threads’ centre back Harrison Chigozie, who had already been cautioned in the 50th for a rough challenge on J Sebastian, made the same mistake again in the 86th to receive the marching orders from referee Vijay Kumar.

The Threads’ defence, which looked solid until then, started crumbling under pressure without key man Chigozie. Javed, who came on as a second-half substitute for Prasoon, made a solo run on the left wing and essayed a cross which was tapped in by Sebastian in the 88th to push them to the top of the table.

Sanjay Vennara gave Threads the lead in the 64th minute. Asif K found the equaliser six minutes later through a curling right-footer from just outside the 18-yard box.

Well before that, it rained goals at the Bangalore Football stadium as J Anaba Hamza Agaba (8th, 21st, 53rd), RC Prakash (45th), Sharath (89th) and Mahendra Mani (90+3) found the target to help BEML register a crucial win.

Hamza headed home the first goal off a Don Bosco corner from the right and BEML’s foreign recruit doubled the lead in the same fashion, this time off a pass from Tiken Singh from the right. At the stroke of half-time, Prakash made it 3-0 with a clinical finish to the right of Chandni custodian Naseeb PK.

Hamza was again in the limelight when he drove home a penalty in the 53rd. The spot kick was awarded when Prakash was brought down inside the box by Naseeb. Sharath’s solo effort and then a Mani curling free-kick from the right wing  rounded off the tally.

Results: Group B: At Delhi: Amity United: 1 (Monday 89th) lt to ND Heroes: 6 (Charles Egware 2nd,8th, 90th, Babatunde 15th, 51st, Bhuvan Joshi 82nd); Simla Youngs: 2 (Kamei 12th, Ugochukwu 77th) lt to Hindustan FC: 4 (Masibau 20th, 33rd, 90th, Tuishim Mashangwa 86th).
Group C: At Tinsukia: NISA: 2 (N Jimmy Singh 37th, 86th) bt Oil India: 0. At Digboi: Denzong Boys: 1 (Krishna Kunwar 16th) drew Gauhati Town Club: 1 (Manoj Boro 69th).