Lone goal keeps host team’s hope at the ongoing NE football tourney alive

GANGTOK, 06 Mar: The goal by Bir Bahadur Pradhan, in the last 10 minutes of the match helped Sikkim win its third and last match in the league round in the ongoing Dr T Ao Memorial Football Tournament at Paljor Stadium today. In the nail-biting match, the home team defeated Assam by a solitary goal.  This win also strengthened the home team’s hopes to remain in the tournament.
Desperate for a win, Sikkimese players made constant attacks on their opponent’s goalpost from the very start. A good shot by Nim Tshering Lepcha missed the net and struck back after hitting the goalpost in the early minutes of the match followed by many other missed attempts. The visitors also made some good attempts but could not score and the first half concluded without any goals from both teams.
With time running out for the home team in the second half, substitute player Bir Bahadur  turned the cross from his teammate, Don Tshering Lepcha in the 82nd minute into the victory goal and the final whistle by the referee sealed the victory for the Sikkim team.
In the second match of the day, the defending champions Manipur defeated Meghalaya again by a lone goal. In an equally played match, Nilakumar Singh scored the solitary and victory goal for Manipur in the 69th minute.
Sikkim team manager, Arjun Rai stated that after one loss and one draw in the tournament the home team had great pressure to win this third match in the league round. He expressed his satisfaction with the game played by the state’s footballers today to win the match. He mentioned that Sikkim now has a better chance to enter into the semi-final round and tomorrow’s match between Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh is crucial for the state. If Mizoram wins the match then Sikkim will enter the next round but if Arunachal Pradesh wins then the goal difference will be considered.