Three goals in the opening 14 minutes of the match gave Assam Rifles a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Simla Youngs F. C. in a Durand Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
The win helped the Rifles qualify for the quarterfinal league of the tournament while Youngs crashed out.
Thoi Thoiba Singh gave Rifles the start they were looking for by scoring as early as in the first minute of the match. Thoiba's free kick, aided by the wind, dipped into the net.
Youngs' agony didn't end there. In the very next minute, a short corner took the Youngs defence off guard and Meikingai Kamei took full advantage of his opponents' defensive lapse by slotting the ball past custodian Gopal Singh.
Rifles punished Youngs' fragile backline again, in the 13th minute, when striker Akum Ao scored off a header after the ball rebounded off the bar.
Samson Oyeleke, Youngs' captain, scored the consolation goal in the 84th minute with a well-placed free kick from just outside the 30-yard box.
So dominant was Rifles' display that even the sending-off of Sinam Lokeswar, their goalkeeper, for a deliberate handball, could not prevent the Youngs from crashing out of the tournament.
{{/usCountry}}So dominant was Rifles' display that even the sending-off of Sinam Lokeswar, their goalkeeper, for a deliberate handball, could not prevent the Youngs from crashing out of the tournament.
{{/usCountry}}Hirojit Kumar's strike just before the final whistle only made it more embarrassing for Youngs. "The boys are now looking forward to playing against the big guns," said N Jithin Singh, Rifles' coach.
Today’s fixture: ONGC vs BSF, 4pm, Ambedkar Stadium