58th National Football Championship for LG Santosh Trophy, 2002 | Oct 17 - Nov 05, Imphal - Manipur
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Santosh Trophy News
LG Santosh Trophy kicks off amid razzmatazz,
Bijen nets five in 8-0 mauling of Himachal Pradesh

By: Atom Samarendra(The Sangai Express) 18 October 2002, 03:00 IST

Intricate movements by dancers performing maibi jagoi, thangta artistes exhibiting sword and shield play, rhythmic movement by pung cholom performers and exhilarating display of dholok cholom marked the cultural extravaganza during the opening ceremony of the 58th National Football Championship for the LG Santosh Trophy. With Governor Ved Prakash Marwah as the chief guest, the artistes belonging to Sana Khuthek Manipur Cultural Academy displaying the depth of culture of Manipur entertained the packed Khuman Lampak Main stadium under a clear blue sky today.

The Governor in his address applauded the sportspersons of the State who have brought several glories to the country and Manipur.

Lauding the sportspersons of Manipur, the Governor said the State was selected to host the prestigious football championship as its sportspersons had demonstrated their skill at various national and international levels. He also noted the unti-ring efforts of the sports officials.

The Governor also recalled the achievement of State sportspersons in various national and international cham- pionships.

Commenting on the available infrastructure the Governor expressed hope that though the best accomodation may not be available all the participating teams would take back happy memories of their stay here.

The Governor also stated that people of the NE Region at any time can participate and come out triumphantly at the highest level while mentioning the name of Nagaland's T Ao who was the first captain of the Indian football team.

Special mention was also made of Manipur footballers.

He also exuded confidence that with the hosting of such a prestigious event by a small and poor border State like Manipur, message of peace and reconciliation will be spread to all nook and corner of the State.

Even though cricket is considered by some as a benefiting game in the country, football is still the most favoured and popular game being for the Indian people. Due to wide publicity extended to cricket by media persons, people think otherwise, said the Governor.

Earlier, soon after the arrival of the chief guest, Commerce and Industries Minister, Th Debendra in his welcome address presented a brief account of roles enacted by officials of various departments to ensure the smooth conduct of the tournament.

Describing the occasion as historic in the annals of Manipur Football, the Minister thanked all the people, players and officials while highlighting the contribution of AMFA officials and State Government.

The cultural troupes, comprising of maibi jagoi exponents, thang-ta artistes and drummers performed a unique combination of various art form to enthral the capacity crowd.

A unique human formation was enacted by the artistes to form the word AIFF on the ground and later AMFA signifying All Manipur Football Association.

Manipur got off to a flying start mauling Himachal Pradesh 8 goals to nil today.

Bijen nets five in 8-0 mauling of Himachal Pradesh

Thousands of home fans were treated to a goal feast by Manipur players in the opening match against Himachal Pradesh at the 58th National Football Championship for the LG Santosh Trophy at Khuman Lampak Main stadium this afternoon.

Organised by All Manipur Football Association under the aegis of All India Football Federation, State players exhi-bited skill combined with speed and team cohesion to leave the Himachal players awestruck from the very first whistle before winning the match by a comfortable 8-0 margin.

As many as ten attempts were launched at the opponent goal within the first eight minutes giving the Himachal defenders and custodian a torrid time.

Repeatedly raiding the oppo-nent goalmouth from all directions of the field, the four pronged strike attack of Mani-pur with consistent ball supply by the midfielders hardly gave any breathing space to the opposition.

The star studded Manipur team were frustrated uptil the half hour mark as most attempts went either wide of the post by inches or landed straight at the rival keeper Ashok Kumar.

L Manitombi and W Tomba of Salgaocar (Goa), Kh Ratan and M Bijen of Dempo Sports Club (Goa) and L James of Mahin-dra&Mahindra (Mumbai) don- ned the State colour in today's match.

A James cross from the left flank found Bijen inside the penalty zone and the latter's powerful shot rebounded off the crowded defender's leg. Ho-wever, Bijen reacted swiftly to head home the first goal in the 37th minute.

The second goal came at the stroke of interval when Ksh Kanta unleashed a right footer from the edge of the rival box that nestled at the top right corner.

James Singh became the first player of the tournament to be booked with the yellow card in the 42nd for taking a free kick without waiting the referee's signal.

The second half presented an improved version of the game compared to the first with six more goals, including a Bijen Singh hattrict, coming in the session that brightened the hosts' chances of advancing to the quarter final stage.

Taking further grip of the match, Manipur increased the lead to 3 with Bijen's second goal in the 50th minute. Sensing the rival custodian leaving his gaurd Bijen sprinted on the right and lobbed it over Ashok Kumar to land at the far corner.

Uttam, skipper Ratan and Tiken aided in Bijen's third, fourth and fifth goals in the 60th, 69th and 81st minute respec-tively.

Tiken completed the demo-lition of Himachal scoring the eight goal in the 84th minute.

Himachal players relied on counter attacks to open the score but failed to get past the well co-ordinated defence of Manipur. Himachal got the first flag kick in the 77th minute.

Time change : With affect from tomorrow all matches of the tournament will commence half an hour early at all venues and not as scheduled.

Bijen Singh: A whiff of fresh air

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