Bengaluru: Karnataka lifted the Tier I Sub-junior boys’ National Football Championship trophy with an impressive 5-1 win over Manipur at a boisterous Bangalore Football Stadium on Sunday.
A hat-trick from CH Sakip, along with Rishaan Chaudhri’s free-kick and Arvidrian Samwanki Lato’s late goal, tilted the tie in the hosts’ favour.
Karnataka opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Sakip headed home Lato’s cross. The forward doubled the advantage from the spot by dispatching a penalty in the 27th minute after a blatant handball in the box by Manipur skipper Khutheipham Muktar Rehman.
Manipur struck back through Rehman seven minutes later when his effort from range burst through the gloves of Karnataka ‘keeper Shayaan Armaan.
But that proved to be the sole bright moment for Manipur as Karnataka, helmed by their impressive midfielders Jordan Paul Mobin, Vivaan Agarwal and Rishaan Chaudhri, remained relentless in attack for the remainder of the contest.
Two minutes before half-time, Rishaan’s free-kick from 25 yards out sailed into the back of the net to restore Karnataka’s cushion, and the hosts pushed on in search of more goals.
Sakip completed his hat-trick in the 63rd minute when he latched onto a long punt and found the finish, and Lato rounded off the rout late in the second half. Jordan’s piercing through-ball found Lato in space, and the 12-year-old’s strike took a deflection before nestling into the net.
“This is the best football we have played whole tournament. Manipur are a difficult side to play against. We analysed every formation they played and broke the lines in midfield. Sakip played his role according to my system and was fantastic,” Mahendra Mani, the Karnataka U-13 football team head coach, said post-match.
Result:
Final: Karnataka: 5 (CH Sakip 8th, 27th, 65th, Rishaan Chaudhri 44th, Arvindrian Samwanki Lato 85th) bt Manipur: 1 (Khutheipham Muktar Rehman 34th).
Published 22 September 2024, 19:40 IST