Pic Courtesy : AIFF
Odisha continued their sterling form in the ongoing 37th Sub-Junior National Football Championship as they thrashed Meghalaya 5-1, in a Group A fixture at the Ambedkar Stadium in the Capital on April 18, 2016. With this win, Odisha progressed into the Semi-finals of the Championship as winners of Group A.
In what could be dubbed as a match of two contrasting halves, Odisha let Meghalaya dictate the tempo in the first, and took the game by the scruff of its neck in the second half.
Despite Odisha took the lead in the 14th minute through Suraj Malha, who slotted the ball into the bottom left corner after a tacky one touch play with Bekey Oram, it was Meghalaya who did most of the attacking.
Meghalaya attacked with fluidity, but were left reeling as opportunities fostered lacked the final finishing touches, while some attacking chances were thwarted clear by a compact Odisha defence. The half-time scoreline read 1-0 in Odisha’s favour as Meghalaya failed to make the most of their opportunities.
In the second half, Odisha punished Meghalaya for not taking their chances and as early as the 48thminute, Bekey Oram’s rasping shot from outside the box left the Meghalaya custodian wrong-footed and ended up in the back of the net as Odisha doubled their lead.
More details from AIFF media team