FAST GAME: Subash Singh of Manipur (centre) tries to dribble past the Sikkim players in the Santosh Trophy on Friday.
In its first game, Manipur had thrashed Uttarakhand 9-0, with its front four enjoying vast amounts of space and time on the ball.
Here, Sikkim’s midfield, instead of sitting deep like Uttarakhand’s, closed down these spaces with industry. Manipur as a result took a while to find any measure of fluency.
Regardless, Manipur took the lead in the 14th minute, through a penalty slotted home by left winger Khanthang Paiti.
Reisangmi Vasum, hat-trick hero against Uttarakhand, won it on the right edge of the box, brought down from behind — needlessly, for he had his back to goal — by Sikkim left winger Bikash Jairu.
Manipur made it 2-0 in the 41st minute through the cruellest of sucker punches. Goalkeeper Lokeshwar Singh, picking up the ball after he had nearly spilled a Jairu free kick into goal, launched it long beyond the Sikkim defence. Timing his run just right, striker Subash Singh reached it an instant before Sikkim keeper Karma Lepcha and poked home adroitly.
The Nirmal impact Sikkim emerged from the break with a re-jigged line-up, with skipper Nirmal Chhetri moved from centre back to centre forward, in an attempt to bomb the Manipur defence with long balls.
The East Bengal defender made an immediate impact, winning headers at will, knocking the ball on for runners from either side.
Twice in a minute, he had efforts denied – a header blocked by centre back Syed Fareed and a low shot saved by Basant Singh, who had replaced a rattled-looking Lokeshwar in goal.
A goal might just have thrown Manipur into disarray, but Sikkim didn’t quite manage to find that incisive final ball or cleanly struck shot.
The result: Manipur 2 (Khanthang Paiti 14’; Subash Singh 41’) bt Sikkim 0.