NORTHEAST DR. T. AO TROPHY 2009   

 

Manipur beat Nagaland to lift 1st NE Dr T Ao Trophy

Dimapur, November 12: Football powerhouse in the Northeast, Manipur did not break any sweat to convincingly beat challenger Nagaland to lift the first ever NE Dr T Ao Trophy 2009 here at the DDSC Stadium Thursday in front of a sell out crowd.

In fact such was the domination of Manipur over the host that Nagaland was lucky to escape with a credible 2-0 defeat.

It was an anti-climax for the thousands of home supporters that have gathered in thousands to watch the host team, at least, make a match of the final encounter, if not win. Instead the home team meekly surrendered.

It was not that the host team were lacking in skills and any day the Nagaland boys could match the Manipur boys in ability. What made the difference was the endurance (stamina), with the Naga boys running out of steam as early as in the later part of the first half.

Nagaland made a spirited start to the match and had equal share of possession till the host went one down in the 21st minute when the host keeper misjudged a free kick taken by W Ngouba Singh's (5) from 20-meters and the ball deflected into the net from the goal post.

The teams went into the break with Manipur leading 1-0.

Coming out of the break, Manipur consolidated their position through a superb strike by Nilakumar Singh (11) in the 52nd minute to make it an easy 2-0 win.

With two goals down and with most players running out of steam, the host team did not have the firepower to make a match of the final and lamely gave up to the disappointment of the home crowd.

Guv, CM pays tribute to Dr T Ao

Earlier Nagaland Governor Nikhil Kumar and chief minister, Neiphiu Rio paid tribute to late Dr T Ao saying he was not just a Naga icon but is a role model for the youth of the country, particularly for the people of North East Region.

"Dr T Ao gives every person of the Northeast a reason to believe in himself and his dreams. He is a source of inspiration to all those who aspires to struggle against the odds and come up trumps," the Governor said while calling upon NE youths to take a leaf out of the book of Dr T Ao and work with sincerity to make their dreams a reality.

In his speech, chief minister Neiphiu Rio called upon all to make the Dr T Ao Trophy one of the flagships of Indian sports "as he was the first person who stepped beyond the barriers of this backward region and reached a level which seemed possible only in dreams."

Rio also appealed to the All India Football Federation to include the NE Dr T Ao Trophy in its calendar of tournaments and pave way for the event to become and national and international event.

"Such a vision can be turned into reality with the positive support of the Government of India and the All India Football Federation. I hope that Nagaland has set the right benchmark in hosting the first edition and it is our sincere expectation that the coming editions will improve with every year," he added.

Later, the State Governor; chief minister, and Meghalaya deputy chief minister, BM Lanong handed over the trophy, winners cheque, medals and certificates to the winning and runner-up team. The winner walked away with Rs 7 lakhs, rolling trophy, medals & certificates, while the runner up team were richer by Rs 4 lakhs, rolling trophy, medals & certificates.

The player of the tournament with a cash award of Rs 25000 went to S Santa Singh (8) of Manipur; Best goalkeeper (Rs 10000) went to Nagaland keeper Zuthango and highest scorer (Rs 10000) went to Tripura skipper Kiron Chattri with his haul of 14 goals in the tournament. The Fair Play Award of Rs 50000 was won by Sikkim.

Talking to media persons at the end of the closing ceremony, Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya, B B Lanong expressed happiness over the successful conduct of Northeast Dr T Ao Trophy. He said that both the teams who played the finals were outstanding who showed discipline and excellent skills.

However, he said that in sports mistakes happen such in the case of Nagaland goalkeeper, who failed to collect the first goal.

Lanong also lauded the organizers of the tournament and said that it was very well managed, while the spectators were also disciplined. (Page News Service)

 

DAY 9 

 

Nagaland to take on Manipur in summit clash today

Dimapur, November 11: Football fans in Nagaland are in for a treat when host Nagaland take on formidable Manipur in the summit clash of the 1st NE Dr T Ao Trophy 2000 here at the DDSC Stadium Thursday at 2 p.m.

Unbeaten in the tournament so far, both Nagaland and Manipur play the same attacking football and both have good defense to rely on. Both teams have conceded only one goals each in the tournament so far, while Manipur tops the host in the goal scored department having so far scored 24 against the host's 9.

Defensive-wise Nagaland has a better line up led by a solid skipper Velekho Rakho (3) and Nagaland keeper Zuthango (1) is by far the best keeper in the tournament. Manipur, however, has a strong midfield and the best forward line in the tournament sharing 24 goals among them.

All in all Thursday's finals is expected to be a tussle between the host defense and Manipur's forward making it an exciting prospect.

Meanwhile, Nagaland Governor, Nikhil Kumar will be the chief guest at the closing function of the 1st NE Dr T Ao Trophy at the DDSC Stadium Thursday, while Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister will be the guest of honour. Chief host of the tournament, State chief minister, Neiphiu Rio will also attend the closing function.

The organizers have informed the public that the gate into the stadium will open from 11 a.m. onwards and closed at 12:45 p.m. for security reasons.

(Page News Service)

 

Tripura blank Meghalaya to take third place

Dimapur, November 11: Tripura drubbed an unusually lackluster Meghalaya 3-0 to come a credible third in the first ever NE Dr T Ao Trophy 2009 being played at the DDSC Stadium here Wednesday.

With today's win, Tripura walked away with a cash prize of Ts 2 lakhs along with certificates and medals. Meghalaya had to be contented with Rs 1 lakhs along with certificate.

Playing for the first time in the tournament in front of a thin attendance, Meghalaya had the bulk of possession as well as more clear chances at goal but their forwards wasted all the chances that came their way.

On the other hand Tripura relied heavily on their skipper Kiron Chattri (9) to do the scoring on the counter attack and he did not disappoint scoring all three goals taking his goal tally in the tournament to an inaccessible 14.

Playing the formation and the kind of play that have taken their team into the third-place match-off, Tripura played inside their half for major duration of the match with only their skipper up-front. He put Tripura ahead in the 12th minute through a measured header that beat the Meghalaya keeper Alfaz Nongkhlan all hands down. Kiron doubled his team's lead in the 27th minute after a through ball from Tripura's half got the rival defense out of position giving him a clear shot at the goal.

After the break Meghalaya continued to dominate restricting play inside the Tripura's half, but failed to capitalize. As early as the 51st minute, Meghalaya missed a setter just outside the Tripura goalmouth with only the keeper to beat but the shot was way off the mark. Two minutes later, Meghalaya again botched another chance on a one-to-one with the Tripura keeper Kanai Yadav but again their forward send the ball out without even threatening the keeper.

In the 68th minute, Meghalaya missed another setter shooting straight at the keeper. Three minutes later, Meghalaya got the best chance to reduce the deficit with an empty net in front but again failed to score shooting the ball out of play.

Against the run of play, Tripura again got the Meghalaya defense in the backfoot after a through ball finding their lone striker skipper Kiron Chattri (9) upfront forcing the Meghalaya defense to tackle him from behind bringing him down inside the danger area. The referee pointed to the spot and Kiron Chattri stepped up and made not mistake in converting the penalty to take his tally to 14 goals in the tournament.

Later Parliamentary Secretary, Youth Affairs & Sports, Naiba Konyak handed over the 3rd & 4th place cheques, certificate and medals to the two teams.

(Page News Service)

 

Top Scorers

Name of the player                  State                Goals

Kiron Chattri (9)                         Tripura                 14

Kh Manglemba Meitei (10)          Manipur                8

Sakutemjen (9)                          Nagaland              7

 

Live telecast of Dr T Ao Trophy

Dimapur, November 11: The final match of the 1st NE Dr T Ao Trophy 2009 between host Nagaland and Manipur Thursday will be telecast live on DD Sports from 2 p.m.

The telecast of the final days of the tournament will begin at 1 p.m. on DD 3 and DD Kohima, DD Sports at 2 p.m. and on all Northeast regional DD Kendra from 3 p.m. onwards. (Page News Service)

 

 

DAY 8 

 

Nagaland, Manipur sail into finals

Dimapur, November 10: Host Nagaland and formidable Manipur entered the final of the first edition of the Northeast Dr T Ao Trophy 2009 after dishing out similar 2-nil win over their respective rivals, Tripura and Meghalaya, here at the DDSC Stadium Tuesday. They will meet for the summit clash on Thursday.

Taking the field with a vociferous home crowd behind them, the Nagaland boys attacked from the first whistle and dominated play through out the match. Tripura forced to defend from the start did tried a couple of times to counter attack but with only skipper Kiron Chattri (9) up field could not capitalize on the few chances they got.

In the 37th minute of the match, Nagaland got three chances to go ahead but failed. A right-footed pile driver by Yapang (6) beat the Tripura keeper Kanai Yadav (1) all hands down but the ball hit the crossbar and rebounded. The rebounded ball was headed in by Alfred Gangmei (17) but the keeper punched it away. Again the ball fell into the foot of Sakutemjen (9) but the keeper was up to the task and deflected the ball away for a corner. Four minutes later, Nagaland got another clear chance with only the keeper to beat but Visakholie Medoze (11) kicked the ball over the bar.

In the run of play, Tripura got its best chance to go ahead but the host keeper Zuthango (1) brought about a spectacular save in the dying minutes of the match to ensure that his team went into the break on level ground

Coming out of the break, the Nagaland boys continue to dominate and were awarded a free kick in the 50th minute after a Tripura defender handled the ball right outside the box but failed to score. Again in the 57th minute the host got another clear chance but their strikers again kicked the ball over the bar.

Just when everyone thought the luck had deserted the host team, Nagaland scored 2 goals within the span of two minutes to seal the victory. Against the run of play, in-from striker Sakutemjen (9) received the ball from the left flank just outside the Tripura box, made a spectacular turn and send the ball flying into the right corner of the net in the 82nd minutes of the match to give the much deserved lead to the host. Before Tripura could recover from the first goal, they found themselves down two when their keeper completely misjudged a long ranger by Ninja Kobui (7) from 40-meters in the 84th minute.

Earlier in the first match, an unusually defensive minded Manipur dished out a 2-0 win over spirited Meghalaya. With nothing to loss, the Meghalaya boys took the attack to the Manipur half but the defensive wall of Manipur stood tall and thwarted every attack. Meghalaya was unlucky to go into the break 1-0 down when in the dying minutes of the first half (45+1) a cross from the right flank found Nabachandra Singh (8) who made no mistake to hit the back of the net.

After the break, it was again end to end stuff with both teams attacking and Manipur could have added another in the 58th minute but for Kyrkhu Marshillong (3) who managed to clear the ball from the goal line after the Meghalaya keeper (Rikseng Sangma) was beaten hands down.

In the 71st minute Meghalaya got a chance to level the score but their defender cleared the goal for a corner after the keeper was beaten.

Manipur, however, could not be denied for long and they doubled their score in the 75th minute through Nilakumar Singh (11). Within minutes, they could have gone three up by Nilakumar Singh with only the keeper to beat shot the ball over the bar. Three minutes later, the Meghalaya keeper brought about another spectacular save to ensure that his team do not conceded any more goals.

Meanwhile on Wednesday the third place match would be played between Meghalaya and Tripura at 2 p.m. The 3rd place team will be given Rs 2 lakhs along with medals & certificates while the 4th place team will get Rs 1 lakh along with medals & certificates. (Page News Service)

 

Top Scorers

Name of Player                          State                Goals

Kiron Chattri (9)                           Tripura                 10

Kh Manglemba (10)                      Manipur                8

Sakutemjen (9)                            Nagaland              7

 

 

DAY 7 MATCH RESULTS

 

Manipur, Nagaland favorites to enter final

Dimapur, November 9: Formidable Manipur will take on a spirited Meghalaya in the first semi final of the ongoing 1st NE Dr T Ao Trophy 2009 here at the DDSC Stadium Tuesday at 11 a.m. while overwhelming crowd favourites host Nagaland will lock horns with a much improved Tripura in the second semi finals at 2 p.m.

Going into the semi finals, Nagaland is likely to again rely heavily on home support to pulverize their way into the finals. Also on current form of the two team, the host team is expected to win the fixture.

However, with only in-form striker Sakutemjen (9) firing in the tournament with six goals out of the 7 goals the host has scored so far, the rest of the Nagaland team need to get their act right or they are in danger of going out of the tournament.

The host defense has so far not being tested, except in the first match against Meghalaya which the visitor were unlucky to loss, but at the later half of the matches the host defensive had been caught in the back foot and they cannot afford to make such mistakes against a much improved Tripura led by tournament top scorer Kiron Chattri (9) with 9 goals.

Nagaland team manager Lanu Ao also need to look closely at his team’s midfield, and should contemplate starting with Meren (14) whose deft touches and accurate ball distribution after coming in as a substitute for the last 20 odd minutes in the crucial match against Assam made a huge difference to the host’s fortune.

For Tripura, they will again rely heavily on their skipper Kiron Chettri to take their team into the finals. With a weak defense and an average keeper, Tripura cannot afford to sit back and defend but has to take the attack into the host defense and hope that their skipper’s does the job for them. Also, the Tripura manager should have a long talk with their team before taking the field telling them not to be overawed by the vociferous home support.

Manipur Vs Meghalaya

On paper, Manipur, having emerged the best team in the tournament so far, should not have any problem in beating Meghalaya but with the tournament going into the knock out stage anything can happen and Manipur cannot afford to be complacent.

Meghalaya, on the other hand can take heart from the fact that when everybody thought they were out after losing its first match against Nagaland they came back strongly to upset Assam on their way to the last four. In fact with nothing to loss and with their spirits high, Meghalaya might again produce another upset in the tournament.

Form-wise, Manipur is the best team in the tournament so far and barring an exceptionally bad day for them they are expected to beat Meghalaya. However, the Manipur boys should keep in mind that they cannot expect to win big everytime like they have done so far in the league phase, and know how to defend.

There weak point, if anyone can say that, could be their defense which have not been tested so far with playing being restricted to their rival’s half so far in the tournament. Scoring 24 goals so far, their forwards led by second top scorer of the tournament, Kh Manglemba Meitei (Jersey 10) with 8 goals are in prime forms while their midfield is peaking at the right time. In fact, for Manipur only they can lose the match. (Page News Service)

 

Top scorers

Name of player                          State                Goals

Kiron Chattri (9)                           Tripura                 9

Kh Manglemba Meitei (10)            Manipur               8

Sakutemjen (9)                            Nagaland             6

 

 

DAY 6 MATCH RESULTS

 

Nagaland, Meghalaya enter semi finals

Dimapur, November 8: Host Nagaland booked their semi final berth with a convincing 3-0 win over Assam, while Meghalaya drubbed Sikkim 5-1 to enter the last four of the ongoing 1st NE Dr T Ao Trophy 2009 being played here at the DDSC Stadium Sunday.

With today's win, Nagaland topped Group B with 3 wins in 3 matches while Meghalaya came second with 2 wins and a loss. Manipur had earlier won Group A and Tripura came second.

Needing to beat host Nagaland to advance to the knock out stage, the Assam boys playing in front of a vociferous and unruly home crowd failed to play up to their potential to lamely bow out of the tournament.

For the host, in-form striker Sakutemjen (9) scored all the 3 goals, his first hattrick of the tournament, to set up the win. He scored in the 11th, 29th and 64th minute of the match.

Earlier in the first match, Meghalaya drubbed Sikkim 5-1 to book their berth in the knockout stage.

With the semi final berth up for grabs, the Meghalaya boys attacked from the first whistle and went ahead as early as in the 5th minute of the match through Rajesh Gurung (13), who again doubled his team lead in the 32nd minute. Two minutes later Marshall Kurkalang (14) made it 3-0 going into the break.

After the break, the Sikkim boys got some decent chances to reduce the deficit but fail to capitalize on it. It was Meghalaya that again went ahead in the 61st minute through substitute Allwyn Patweth (9) to make it 4-0.

In the run of play, Sikkim scored for the first time in the tournament through substitute Biden Rai (9) in the 81st minute. But that time, however, all was lost for Sikkim, and Meghalaya sealed the match in the injury added time (90+2 minutes) through substitute Embhahmi Laloo (15) to ensure a convincing 5-1 win.

(Page News Service)

 

Crowd problem continues to mar Dr T Ao Trophy

It's a big problem, says Match Commissioner

Dimapur, November 8: Crowd problem continues to mar the smooth conduct of the ongoing 1st NE Dr T Ao Trophy 2009 here at the DDSC Stadium particularly in matches involving host Nagaland.

Sunday's do or die match for the host against Assam saw thousands of fans thronging the DDSC ground and with no available seats the fans forcefully occupied the space available right up to the touch line hampering free flow of play.

The players dug out (enclosures) and match officials reserved seats were not even spared by the unruly crowd who refused to listen to voice of reason from the volunteers, officials and even police and IRB personnel.

The Assam dug out wore a desolate look with their coach and substitute players literally unable to even turn around forget about their coach giving valuable instructions to the players from the touchline with the crowd even trying to climbing up the roof of the Assam dugout to get a better view. The Assam coaching staff and some substitute players were heard saying they cannot even see what's going on in the ground with the crowd surrounding them.

Even the mineral waters provided to the Assam dugout was not spared and some spectators were seen nonchalantly quenching their thirst before alert IRB personnel put a stop to it.

It was the same case with the linesmen who had a tough time officiating the match, with little space to run up and down the touchline to oversee the match without trampling over the spectators. It can be recalled that in the first match between Meghalaya and Nagaland, a Meghalaya player was nearly assaulted right in the middle of the match by a spectator after he trampled over the spectator near the touchline. The player running in full speed after the ball could not stop immediately and had stomped on the spectator foot then.

Although it cannot be confirmed it was also reported that spectators right behind the goalkeeper (even toughing the net) uses abusive language and taunts the goalkeeper and the defenders to distract them. Reportedly the second goal that Nagaland scored against Meghalaya in their first encounter came as a result of such taunts, when the defender taking the goal kick miscued his kick and send the ball straight to Nagaland striker Saku standing right outside the Meghalaya 'D' box.

When queried on the spectators coming close to the touchline, Match Commissioner Gopinath Pyne told newsmen, "It is a big problem. They should not come so close to the touchline." According to him, a tournament of such stature where the prize money is one of the highest in India should be played in a stadium. "But what to do, we are here to conduct the match, and we have to make do with what is available," he said.

The Match Commissioner, however, admitted that such huge turnout on match days is a huge boost for football in the region and should be harnessed. Such huge turnout is seen only in West Bengal and Gao, and that too very rarely, he said.

Pyne also disclosed that he had so far not received any complaints from any of the teams, but if while any match is going on he feels that the match is not fair or endangers the players he has the prerogative to abandon the match and award the match to any of the contesting teams.

However, all in all he lauded the discipline of the players so far.

The Match Commissioner also informed that he would be giving an honest account of the proceeding of the tournament in his match report to the All India Football Federation (AIFF). (Page News Service)

 

 

 

DAY 5 MATCH RESULTS

 

7-goal spree by Kiron Chettri puts Tripura into last four

Crowd disrupts play during Mizoram-Manipur match

Dimapur, November 7: Tripura entered the last four of the ongoing NE Dr T Ao Trophy 2009 thanks to its skipper Kiron Chettri (9) who pumped in 7 goals to led his team to a resounding 11-2 victory over Arunachal Pradesh here at the DDSC Stadium Saturday.

Needing victory with a big margin over minnows Arunachal Pradesh and hoping that Group A topper Manipur beat Mizoram by a similar big margin in the next match it was Tripura's day all the way as everything fell in place in favour of the Tripura boys, as they not only beat Arunachal by a huge margin but their big win added extra pressure on the Mizo boys who either needed an unlikely straight win to advance or that they do not concede many goals. This was not to be, and Tripura advanced while Mizoram crashed out of the tournament.

Earlier coming into the match with a 6-goal deficit after conceding 9 goals and scoring only 3, Tripura needed something special from their strikers and they found it in their experienced skipper who rose to the occasion to lead from the front.

Attacking from the first whistle, Tripura had to wait till the 14th minute to score their first goal through Kiron Chettri (9). He scored his 6 other goals in the 41st, 51st, 69th, 83rd, 86th and 88th minutes to become the highest scorer in the tournament with 9 goals so far.

The other 4 goals for Tripura were scored by Manoj Ekka (16) in the 20th minute, Rabindra Debbarma (19) in the 37th minute, Binod Kisore Jamatia (11) in the 80th minute and substitute Utpal Chowdhary (8) in the 89th minute.

Tripura went into the break leading 4-1.

For Arunachal Pradesh the 2 consolation goals came in the 40th minute through Hari Kalou (23) and Rutul Seresta (11) in the 55th minute.

Mizoram Vs Manipur

Under pressure after Tripura's big win in the first match, a jittery Mizoram took the field and found themselves one down in the 17th minute of the match after one of its defender miscued the ball while clearing and it landed near the left foot of L Herojit Singh (15) who made no mistake in putting the juicy half volley into the back of the net.

After the first goal, Manipur continued to dominate the play but had to wait till the 31st minute to double their score through Kh Nlemnganba Metei (10). He also scored in the 72nd, 83rd and 90th minute of the match. Manipur went into the break leading 2-0.

The other goals for Manipur were scored by Reagan Singh in the 53rd minute while Mizoram's substitute Lalfakzuala (2) scored an own goal to hand Manipur a 7-0 victory.

Referee Raju Bora booked 7 players, 4 from Mizoram and 3 from Manipur, for unsporting play.

Earlier the crowd disrupted the match for some 3 minutes in the dying minutes of the first half of the Mizoram-Manipur match by throwing missiles and mineral bottles into the ground against the linesman's decision of flagging a Mizoram player for offside.

IRB personnel had to be dispatched to the gallery to control the irate crowd before the match could resume. (Page News Service)

 

 

Nagaland to face Assam in crucial encounter today

Dimapur, November 7: Nagaland faces a do or die situation on Sunday when the host take on Assam in the last league match of the 1st NE Dr T Ao Trophy Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.

If Meghalaya beats Sikkim, as expected in the first match on Sunday at 12 Noon, Nagaland needs at least a draw to qualify to the knock out stage of the tournament. However, if the Meghalaya-Sikkim match is tied or Sikkim were to upset Meghalaya then Nagaland will advance whether they win or loss.

In the event that the Nagaland-Assam match ends in a tie, and Meghalaya beats or draws with Sikkim Assam will go out of the tournament on account of poorer goal difference.

However, if Nagaland loses to Assam, and Meghalaya wins the host will go out of the tournament on account of goal difference.

(Page News Service)

 

 

 

 

 

DAY 4 MATCH RESULTS

 

Meghalaya upset Assam; Nagaland crawl pass Sikkim

Dimapur, November 6: Host Nagaland toiled hard to edge out a 2-0 win over a spirited Sikkim while Meghalaya recorded the biggest upset of the tournament trashing Assam 4-1 on Day 4 of the ongoing 1st NE Dr T Ao Trophy 2009 being played here at the DDSC Stadium Friday.

With today’s result, Group B has been split wide open with any two of the three top teams - Nagaland, Assam and Meghalaya – qualifying for the semi finals. With Meghalaya expected to beat Sikkim, and if Assam beats Nagaland in their last league encounter on Sunday the Group B topper would be decided by goal difference. Nagaland has so far scored 4 goals conceding one, while Meghalaya has scored 5 goals and conceded 3 and Assam has scored 6 goals and conceded 4. With 2 losses in a row Sikkim is out of contention for the last four stages.

An unimpressive Nagaland team made heavy weather against possibly the weakest team in their group, Sikkim, and even had to resort to some rough play and unsporting behaviour to unsettle the young Sikkim team (reportedly their U-19 team) for the win to so far top Group B.

Right from the first whistle, the young Sikkim boys dominated the match against the senior host team but poor finishing let them down. Seeing the Sikkim boys dominating Nagaland, and egged on by a vociferous crowd, Nagaland started gaining some ground with the help of some hard tackling and body checking to unsettle the opposing team but the Sikkim boys stood their ground and the teams went into the break without breaking the deadlock.

Coming out of the break, Nagaland went ahead in the 53rd minute after Sikkim keeper, Ugen Pintso Sherpa (32) ran out to collect a highball send in from the center of the ground but completely misjudged it allowing Nagaland’s mercurial striker Saku (9) to head the ball into the empty net.

Down one, the Sikkim boys went all out in search of the equalizer but were again got in the back foot when Ninja Kobui (7) of Nagaland beat the defense line forcing a Sikkim defender to bring him down from behind inside the box. The resultant spot kick was converted by Saku (9) to hand his team the 2-0 win. Saku was also booked for unsporting behaviour.

Earlier in the first match, an inspired Meghalaya drubbed Assam 4-1 to record their first win of the tournament and keeping their semi finals hope alive.

Dominating the match from the first whistle, Meghalaya went ahead in the 21st minute through Sixbirta Marak (12), and a minute later they had doubled their score through the boots of Plassing Myrthong (17).

Setback by the 2 goals, the Assam team slowly regrouped as the match progressed and was rewarded in the dying minutes of the first half when Bijoy Buragohain (13) made not mistake in ensuring that his team went into the break with their confidence high.

After the break, Meghalaya made it 3-1 in the 60th minute through substitute Bishaalang Khongwir (18) and put the match beyond the reach of Assam in the 83rd minute through the boots of skipper Milton Kharsati (7).

(Page News Service)

 

 

 

DAY 3 MATCH RESULTS

 

Manipur in last 4; Mizoram keep hope alive

Arunachal Pradesh crashes out

Dimapur, November 5: Manipur became the first team to book their place in the semi finals of the ongoing North East Dr T Ao Trophy 2009 trouncing Tripura 7-1 while Arunachal Pradesh crashed out of the tournament after being drubbed 5-1 by Mizoram.

In the first match riding on a brace each from M Romi Singh and Kh Manglemba Meitei, Manipur recorded their second straight big win in the tournament to book their semi final berth. Kh Manglemba Meitei open the floodgates as early as in the 5th minutes of the match and added another in the 89th minute, while Romi Singh scored in the 8th and 70th minute of the match.

I Nila Kumar Singh (19th minute), W Ngouba Meitei (26th minute) and Ng Rabi Singh (69th minute) rounded up the score for the Manipur boys.

For Tripura the consolation goal was scored by Binod Kisore Jamatia.

In the 2nd match of the day, an unimpressive Mizoram managed to beat minnows Arunachal Pradesh to record their first win in the tournament thereby keeping their semi final chance alive.

Christopher Lalthlamuana of Mizoram give their team the lead as early as in the 8th minute of the match. They had to wait till the 41st minute to double their score, when Arunachal's defender Tarh brought down a Mizo striker inside the box and Lallawmzuala made no mistake in converting the spot kick. Lallawmzuala again made the score 3-0 in the dying minutes of the first half.

After the break, Arunachal came out strongly and reduced the deficit in the 50th minutes of the match through Rutul Seresta. This was also Arunachal's first goal in the tournament.

Mizoram however put the match beyond Arunachal after R Lallawmkima made it 4-1 in the 67th minute. David Lalramdina made it 5-1 in the 84th minute to give Mizoram a resounding victory.

Organizers apologize, but fail to keep word

Earlier the organizers of the tournament apologized to the local media for its failure to provide the necessary information to write match reports as well as for belittling the local press by one of its top official on Wednesday. The official has since taken a leave of absence from the tournament for personal reasons, organizers told local reporters.

In a meeting held today at the DDSC Stadium, top officials from the organizing committee also repeatedly assured the local media that the Players List necessary for writing reports would be provided to the local press from Thursday before the start of the respective matches. They also clarified that Players List is not a "Confidential document" as one official had claimed on Wednesday.

Unfortunately after the local media in all good faith accepted the assurance from respected officials of the organizing committee, the organizers conveniently again failed to keep their word by not providing the Players List even after the end of Thursday's play for reasons best known only to them but which had so far marred the conduct of the coveted first ever Northeast football tournament in honour of a respected son of Nagaland.

In spite of the organizers' double speak and their blatant disregard of the assurance given to the local media, reporters here decided to go ahead and write the Day 3 match reports in greater public interest and in deference of late Dr T Ao, who Union DoNER Minister, BK Handique rightly described as an "icon for NE youths to emulate" during the inaugural ceremony of the tournament, instead of waiting for the officials to carry out their assurances, which in all likelihood might go down as another unfulfilled promises among many.

(Page News Service)

 

 

DAY 2 MATCHES

 

Local journos agree to protect players 'confidentiality'

Dimapur, November 4: Local journalists covering the coveted 1st North East Dr T Ao Trophy 2009 here at the DDSC Stadium Wednesday decided not to report today's highly anticipated match between host Nagaland & Meghalaya and Assam & Sikkim following non-cooperation from the organizers towards the local media in giving out basic information needed to write the match reports.

When requested for the Players List from the organizers, local reporters covering the Day Matches were told in no uncertain terms by a top official that the Players Lists of the competing teams were "confidential document" and cannot be given to the media. Surprisingly the organizers had given the "confidential players list" to some media groups (not from Dimapur).

A top official of the organizing committee even went to the extent of belittling the local journalists about their experience in reporting football tournaments. "Is these your first time reporting a football match," he scornfully asked a sections of local reporters and went on to lecture that Players' List of teams are never given to the press in any tournament. Little did he realize that some of the local journalists he was talking to had even covered national level football tournament outside the comfort of the State of Nagaland, including at national games, where the journalists were provided the players' list even before being asked.

Local reporters here were of the view that they simply cannot write their reports, saying this or that jersey number scored goals for their respective teams without naming the goal scorer.

Even on the first match day on November 3, the local media faced the same problem and literally pleaded with the organizers to give them the players' list but to no avail. Reporters finally had to click the players' list (given to some media persons from outside) with their camera so they could write the Day 1 reports.

Meanwhile, a raffle draw from the sold tickets was held today with the lucky winner walking away with a 20" colour TV. The lucky gift, sponsored by LG Home Appliance through its distributor M/s Eastern Enterprises Dimapur, was won by L Lotha (Ticket No. 16362) and was handed over by state chief minister. On Day 1, the gift was a washing machine won by one J Das. (Page News Service)

 

 

DAY 1 MATCHES

Manipur blank Arunachal 10-0; Mizoram-Tripura tied 2-2

Dimapur, November 3: Manipur blanked Arunachal Pradesh 10-0 while Tripura and Sikkim played out a hard fought 2-2 tie on the opening day of competitive matches for the 1st North East Dr T Ao Trophy 2009 being played at the DDSC Stadium here Tuesday.

In the first match of the day, formidable Manipur completely outclassed a lackluster Arunachal Pradesh pumping in 10 goals, with 6 goals coming in the first half. With play restricted in the Arunachal half throughout the match; Arunachal Pradesh could not even make a decent attempt at the Manipur goal.

For Manipur, the busy attacking midfielder S Shanta Singh (6) recorded the first hat trick of the tournament scoring 4 goals, including a spot kick. His goals came in the 9th, 38th, 44th and 49th minutes of the match. Influential striker Rh Nanglemba Meitei (10) scored a brace in the 20th and 76th minutes.

Manipur took the lead in the 9th minute of the match, and doubled their score 5 minutes later in the 14th minute through L Ibotomba Singh. Six minutes later, they went 3-0 up through Rh Nanglemba Meitei and Md Shahidur Rehman (16) made it 4-0 in the 23rd minutes. Shanta Singh scored 2 goals within a span of 7 minutes to lead his team into the dugout with an inaccessible 6-0 cushion.

After the break, the Manipur boys keep up the pressure and were rewarded with a spot kick after one of its player was brought down by the Arunachal defense from behind, which Shanta Singh, probably the man of the match, made no mistake in converting. W Ngouba Meitei (5), Rh Mauglemba and I Nilakumar Singh (11) scored in the 72nd, 76th and 89th minutes to set up the 10-0 victory.

Herojit Singh (15) of Manipur and Arunachal keeper Kabak Bahar (1) were shown the yellow card for unsporting play.

In complete contrast to the first match, the second match of the day between Mizoram and Tripura was a total thriller with fortunes swinging from one side to the other.

A match between equals with Tripura dominating the aerial balls and Mizoram controlling the ground balls, Mizo boys took the lead in the 25th minute of the match after the strong Tripura defense were got off guard by a splitting pass from the left, giving Lallawmzuala (6) all the time to control the ball and put it pass the advancing Tripura keeper Kanal Yadav. Tripura came close of finding the equalizer in the 31st minute but the woodworks denied them.

Coming out of the lemon break, Tripura drew parity in the 50th minute when their skipper Kiron Chettri (9) connected a measured cross from the right to hit the back of the net. Tripura went ahead in the 64th minute again through Kiron Chettri whose effort from right outside the box beat the Mizo keeper on the wrong foot.

Just when everyone thought that Tripura has notch their first victory, the Mizo boys in a well coordinated move under pressure produced the goal of the match through H Lalrochama (10) to ensure that their team at least take a point away from the match.

Malsawmtluanga (5) of Mizoram and Tripura's Bishwa Kalai (17) & Kiron Chettri (9) were booked by the referee for rough play.

Wednesday's Match:

Sikkim Vs Assam (12 Noon)

Nagaland Vs Meghalaya (2 p.m.)

(Page News Service)