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Indian Army Football Team continued their impressive start to the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup with a commanding 4-0 victory over Baghpat FC in their Group B fixture at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan on Wednesday. Goals from Samir Murmu, Saikhom Borish Singh, Shubham Rana and P. Christopher Kamei secured a comfortable win for the Services side, taking them to six points from two matches, while Baghpat FC concluded their maiden Durand Cup campaign without a victory.
All 43 matches of the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup will be broadcast LIVE on the Sony Sports Network well and streamed live on SonyLIV
Having won their opening fixture, Indian Army entered the contest full of confidence and immediately took control of possession against a Baghpat side searching for their first points after defeats in their opening two matches.
The visitors’ goalkeeper Ayan Bhattacharya was called into action as early as the fourth minute, rushing well outside his penalty area to make an important clearance and deny an early Army attack. The Services side continued to dominate proceedings, with Samir Murmu seeing an effort blocked as they repeatedly threatened the Baghpat defence.
The breakthrough came in the 12th minute through an excellent piece of transition play. Christopher Kamei spotted Samir Murmu’s run and floated a perfectly weighted pass over the defensive line. Murmu timed his movement to perfection before calmly lifting his finish over the advancing Bhattacharya to give the Indian Army a deserved lead.
The Army side continued to stretch the Baghpat defence, with wingers Shubham Rana and Pawar Abhishek Shankar constantly asking questions down the flanks. Baghpat suffered an early setback when defender Rohit Saibya was forced off through injury, with striker Senthamil S introduced as his replacement.
Christopher Kamei and Lethaolen Khongsai dictated the tempo from midfield, and their dominance was rewarded again in the 23rd minute. Kamei delivered an inviting cross from the left, and Saikhom Borish Singh rose highest to power a header beyond the goalkeeper and double Indian Army’s advantage.
Baghpat responded with their first meaningful opportunity just after the half-hour mark. Crispin C. Cleetus whipped in a dangerous cross from the left, but substitute Senthamil could not direct his header on target as the ball drifted wide.
Indian Army quickly regained control and added a third in the 36th minute. Another pinpoint cross from Christopher Kamei found Pardeep Singh, whose header struck the post. With the Baghpat defence unable to clear the rebound, Shubham Rana reacted quickest to lash the loose ball home from close range.
The Services outfit continued to threaten from wide areas, with their aerial deliveries consistently causing problems. Right-back Sunil B nearly got on the scoresheet himself with a powerful long-range effort that forced Bhattacharya into another smart save.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Christopher Kamei capped an outstanding opening 45 minutes with a goal of his own. Pawar Abhishek Shankar drove in from the right before cutting the ball back to the midfielder, who shifted it onto his left foot and curled a sublime effort into the top corner to send Indian Army into the break with a commanding 4-0 lead.
Baghpat showed greater intent after the restart and attempted to build attacks through midfield, but the Indian Army backline, marshalled by Shafeel P.P., Pardeep Singh and Sunil B, remained disciplined and gave their opponents little room to operate.
Although Indian Army continued to enjoy the lion’s share of possession, they were unable to convert their dominance into further goals as the tempo of the game slowed considerably.
Baghpat enjoyed encouraging spells through captain Aaryan Amla, midfielder Ningthoukhongjam Rohen Singh and winger Crispin C. Cleetus, but they struggled to create clear-cut opportunities against the organised Army defence.
Shubham Rana had a chance to add a fifth just after the hour mark, but his tame effort was comfortably gathered by Bhattacharya. The Baghpat goalkeeper continued to impress late in the game, first producing an excellent save to deny Pawar Abhishek Shankar’s powerful strike from outside the box before diving smartly to push away Samir Murmu’s curling effort.
Substitute Tejas Narayan Choudhary also made a positive impact for Baghpat with a series of determined defensive interventions in midfield, while Om Motghare produced a crucial late block to prevent further damage.
Despite creating several more openings, Indian Army were unable to add to their tally as they comfortably saw out the closing stages to secure another convincing victory.
The result leaves Indian Army FT with a perfect six points from their opening two Group B matches, while Baghpat FC bow out of their debut Durand Cup campaign still searching for their first points.
Tomorrow’s Matches
Bodoland FC vs FC1 (Group F) – 4:00 PM, Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati
Nongkseh SS & CC vs Langsning FC (Group E) – 7:00 PM, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong
