Zomi FC topple Manipur Police 3-1

Imphal, Sept. 23 : Zomi Football Club upset Manipur Police Sports Club by 3-1 goals in a match of the AMFA 8th Manipur State League at Mapal Kangjeibung today.

Zomi FC, who are debuting this season, have made good progress, winning two matches and losing one to collect seven points.

Manipur Police are with three points from a win and two defeats.

The first half was goalless.

Zomi FC got their first goal in the 68th minute through Helung Haokip. Manipur Police got their act together soon and Henry Chawang who came up with his team’s first goal in the 71st minute to level scores 1-1.

The Manipur Police joy was shortlived with Zomi FC stunning the former with two quick goals and Helung Haokip struck his second goal in the 77th minute.

Later, T. Kamkhualliam brought up the winning goal in the 79th minute for the morale-boosting win.

In another match, Tiddim Road Unique Gamy Players Union beat Kuki Sporting Club by a solitary goal.

Anthony Kabui provided the match-winning goal for Tiddim Road as he anticipated a goalline cross to head home for his team’s first victory in the league.

In yesterday’s match, Tiddim Road Athletic Union held defending champion Southern Sporting Union by 1-1 goals while in another match, Anouba Imagi Mangal beat United Sporting Association by a solitary goal.

Climbing: Manipur climbers claimed 23 medals, including 11 gold medals, to claim the champion’s title in the 15th North East Zonal Sports Climbing Competition at MMTA Kangla Rock Wall at Minuthong.

The host team finished with 11 gold, seven silver and five bronze medals to top the tally, while Tripura bagged the second spot winning two gold, three silver and four bronze medals. Mizoram bagged one gold, three silver and two bronze medals and Assam got two bronze and Nagaland got one bronze medal.

Climbers from Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya failed to get any medals in the competition.
READ MORE - Zomi FC topple Manipur Police 3-1

Chelsea stunned at home by Basel

LONDON - Jose Mourinho returned to Chelsea with the prime aim of winning the Champions League but his campaign got off to the worst possible start when the 2012 winners suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat by Basel in their first match on Wednesday (Thursday, PHL time).

Chelsea, beaten in the Premier League by Everton on Saturday (Sunday, PHL time), looked short of ideas all night in a stuttering display, though they led 1-0 following a neat finish by Oscar just before halftime.

The Brazilian hit the bar soon after the restart as Chelsea briefly turned on the style but they were never able to take complete control and Mohamed Salah equalized in the 71st minute.

Swiss champions Basel, beaten by Chelsea in the Europa League semifinals last season, grew in confidence and completed their smash and grab raid nine minutes from time when captain and center forward Marco Streller cleverly glanced in a near-post header from a corner.

It was Chelsea's first home defeat in the Champions League group stage in 30 matches, dating back to a 2-0 loss to Besiktas in October 2003.

"We wanted to win of course but we have to respect a team who showed they have quality and experience," Mourinho told reporters.

"Basel played very well. We had a lot of the ball but we couldn't create many chances. In the end we lost three points, we must get them back somewhere.

"Normally you have to win at home and get a few points away. Now we must win remaining home games against Schalke and Steaua Bucharest and will probably we will have to go away and win at Basel."

That could be easier said than done as the team which has won the Swiss title four years in a row played with growing confidence and no little skill.

They were on the back foot for much of the first half as Chelsea gave a debut to 30 million-pound ($47.9 million) signing Willian and a first home start for 20-year-old Marco van Ginkel, but although the Londoners dominated possession, they were pedestrian and disjointed for most of the first half.

Neat pass

A neat pass by the ever-aware Frank Lampard enabled Oscar to give them a flattering halftime lead and their formidable home record in the competition looked safe.

But Basel, who took four points off Manchester United in the Champions League in the 2011-12 season, were always in the game, and having survived Chelsea's best spell, it was no real surprise when they leveled after impressive Egyptian Salah played a nice one-two with Streller and curled in a confident low shot.

They went close again through Streller but Chelsea failed to heed the warning and the big forward got in front of Gary Cahill to head the winner nine minutes from time.

Chelsea, European champions in 2012, drew their first home Champions League game last season, 2-2 with Juventus, to set the tone for a scrappy campaign in which they failed to progress to the knockout stage.

"We go home sad, the supporters go home sad, but tomorrow we wake up and go training and prepare for the next match," Mourinho said.

"The only way is to believe in each other stick together and try to get the result against Fulham at the weekend to bring a smile and then try to recover these points we lost today in the next match in the Champions League."

Basel coach Murat Yakin was delighted to take such a prestigious scalp.

"It's a great honor for us to win here," he said. "But we gained a lot of experience from last season's games [in the Europa League] and we didn't come here to hide.

"We had to defend a lot in the first half, we were probably too defensive, but we attacked a lot more in the second half and I always felt we looked dangerous." - Reuters
READ MORE - Chelsea stunned at home by Basel

Rooney sparkle in opening night goals bonanza

Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick for Real Madrid illuminated an opening night goals bonanza as the leading contenders began the Champions League group stage with a bang on Tuesday.

Thirty goals rained in around Europe with Real trouncing Galatasaray 6-1 in Istanbul, holders Bayern Munich winning 3-0 at home to CSKA Moscow and Manchester United putting four past Bayer Leverkusen at Old Trafford.

Paris St Germain fired a warning that they will be a real threat with a 4-1 victory away to Olympiakos Piraeus while Manchester City won 3-0 at Czech outsiders Viktoria Plzen.

Ronaldo’s reign as the world’s most expensive footballer ended this month when Real paid Tottenham Hotspur 100 million euros ($133.49 million) for Gareth Bale but he underlined his role as chief conductor of Los Blancos with a dazzling display. Rooney was on target for United as well.

Rooney was on target for United as well. AP Bale, who is still building up his match fitness after missing most of pre-season, had the honour of becoming the world’s most costly substitute until he joined the party in the second half, playing a part in Ronaldo’s second goal. Midfielder Isco began Real’s rout while their France forward Karim Benzema scored twice in a satisfying evening for Real’s new coach Carlo Ancelotti who was treated to a feast of counter-attacking football by his expensively assembled side.

“Things couldn’t have started better for us. Scoring six goals is really good and will give us a lot of confidence,” Ronaldo, who performed a stunning silky dribble for his third goal in stoppage time, told reporters. While Real, beginning their quest for a long-overdue 10th European crown, issued a powerful statement of intent, the strength of some of their rivals for the silverware would not have gone unnoticed by Ancelotti.

FIRST GOAL

Less than four months after Arjen Robben’s last-minute goal secured the trophy for Bayern Munich the Bundesliga giants registered the first goal of this season’s group stage after only four minutes courtesy of David Alaba’s powerful free kick. Robben was on target again along with Mario Mandzukic as Bayern’s new coach Pep Guardiola’s saw his side ease to victory. Guardiola, who twice conquered Europe during his glittering reign at Barcelona, said he was relieved to start another Champions League journey without any stumbles.

“I’m very satisfied with the performance,” he said. “The first game after winning the Champions League is never easy. Everyone always thinks it is, but it’s not.”

Ronaldo’s former Manchester United team mate Wayne Rooney scored twice in the English champions’ 4-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen as the Old Trafford club began their first European venture without Alex Ferguson at the helm since 1985.

Ferguson, who twice steered United to Champions League success, watched as Rooney’s double and goals from Robin Van Persie and Antonio Valencia gave new boss David Moyes a pleasing, if sometimes anxious, first taste of the group stage.

“I said several months ago Wayne Rooney could join the real greats with his goalscoring. He could have got a hat-trick tonight,” Moyes said of the England striker whose double took him to 200 goals for United. “Robin van Persie‘s goal was also great. If we can get those two scoring, they can be formidable for us.”

BETTER OMENS

Striker Edinson Cavani justified Paris St Germain’s faith in signing him from Napoli with the opening goal in their Group C victory over Olympiakos in Greece, although he played second fiddle to Italian midfielder Thiago Motta who scored twice. The Parisians could even afford a late missed penalty by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The omens look better for Manchester City after the disappointment of group stage exits in the previous two seasons despite the hundreds of millions spent assembling their squad. Wily Chilean coach Manuel Pelligrini was recruited with a mission to improve City’s form in Europe and goals from Edin Dzeko, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero provided a launchpad for the challenges ahead, which include facing Bayern.

“Winning away in the Champions League is very important,” said Pellgrini who took Malaga to the quarter-finals last season. “Those three points might be very important in getting to the next round.”

Twice former European Cup winners Benfica enjoyed a 2-0 victory over Anderlecht but not all the European aristocrats had things their own way with Juventus being held to a 1-1 draw in Denmark against FC Copenhagen. Real Sociedad’s return to the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2003-04 also went flat as Shakhtar Donetsk returned from Spain with a 2-0 victory in Group A.
READ MORE - Rooney sparkle in opening night goals bonanza

More heartbreak for India's footballers as team drops to 155th in FIFA rankings... So when WILL officials move to turn things round?

By Abhishek Bhalla

Indian football team's performance graph is not showing any sign of improvement and the heart-breaking defeat to Afghanistan in the final of the 2013 SAFF Championship is a proof of the continuous downfall.

Adding salt to the wound, India have dropped ten places in the FIFA rankings and are now placed at 155.
And since July 2012, when Wim Koevermans took over as coach, the Nehru Cup has been India's only success.
Under him, India have lost all the three international friendlies they have played in this period and the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers too.
Dive: India have slipped 10 places to 155 in the FIFA rankings, a further blow after their loss to Afghanistan in the SAFF Championship final in Kathmandu
Dive: India have slipped 10 places to 155 in the FIFA rankings, a further blow after their loss to Afghanistan in the SAFF Championship final in Kathmandu

So, while the Dutchman needs to share a part of the blame, the officials sitting at the AIFF Football House in the Capital also need to answer some tough questions.
According to sources, a technical committee is going to review India's performance in the SAFF Championship, which has come under widespread criticism.
However, there is little chance the coach is going to be sacked, according to a top official. And to think that merely appointing a new coach will change the scenario overnight is not right.

 
The SAFF Championship was the season's first tournament of the season and the players were expected to deliver the goods in a competition in which they were viewed as overwhelming favourites. But for that one needs to go through a pre-season training to be ready to deliver in a match.
Unfortunately in India, the footballers hardly have a sportsman-like lifestyle, and add to that the lack of pre-season training of the players, which was showing on the field.

The proposed IMG-Reliance league has only added to the confusion. Senior players like Gouramangi Singh, Syed Rahim Nabi, NirmalChettri and Subrata Paul are contracted to the tournament. But that has meant that these players, who form the core of the team, are not fit enough to play, which was evident in SAFF.
Teams like Nepal and Afghanistan take the SAFF Championship as their World Cup, so it's only natural to put their full focus into this regional tournament. And that was visible in their performance.
Big stars are being planned to be roped in for the IMG-Reliance franchise tournament. The officials say that this will help generate popularity for Indian football.
But the paradox lies in the fact that people may come to the stadium to watch the tournament for the semi-retired stars.
Thanks to their lacklustre football, the Indians have lost the credibility to put up something worth watching. And merely playing to the gallery to just get profit from the sponsor's money is hardly the solution.
A long term goal is needed to be successful in sports and currently, Indian football does not have that.  Only three FIFA friendlies in the last one year show that the team hardly plays international matches.
We have to accept the fact that our standard is nowhere near the European teams, and a two-day camp will never be enough to build co-ordination among the players.
Celebration: Afghans celebrate their team's victory in the South Asian Football Federation Championship at Kabul stadium
Celebration: Afghans celebrate their team's victory in the South Asian Football Federation Championship at Kabul stadium

The meek voice of the AIFF in front of their commercial partners IMG-Reliance has not helped matters either.
The partners have not been able to bring in sponsors for I-League and it was only the effort of president Praful Patel that helped rope in ONGC as the national team sponsors.
IMG-Reliance's sole focus seems to be their pet tournament which will help them recover all the money that they have lost in the past couple of years.
And if the tournament does not succeed, is there any guarantee that they will not leave? It's high time that the AIFF took some strong measures to raise the profile of the national team.
READ MORE - More heartbreak for India's footballers as team drops to 155th in FIFA rankings... So when WILL officials move to turn things round?

Will India reign supreme again?

READY TO FIRE: Indian captain Sunil Chhetri and coach Wim Koevermans pose with the SAFF Cup ahead of the team's match against Afghanistan in the final on Tuesday.
READY TO FIRE: Indian captain Sunil Chhetri and coach Wim Koevermans pose with the SAFF Cup ahead of the team's match against Afghanistan in the final on Tuesday.
Having notched up a morale-boosting semifinal victory against Maldives, defending champion India will try to maintain its supremacy in the SAFF football championship when it takes on a tough Afghanistan in the summit clash here on Wednesday.
On paper, Afghanistan is a superior side with a FIFA ranking of 139 to India’s 145 as well as seven of its first XI footballers playing in the lower tier leagues of the United States and Germany.
Medio Mustafa Azadzoy and defender Mustafa Hadid play in the German league while forward Mohammed Yusuf has played in the US.
For Sunil Chhetri and his team, winning the SAFF championship would be a thankless affair. India has won the trophy six times in the first nine editions having failed to reach the semifinals only once.
However, it has a solid Afghanistan team as an opposition, which was thrashed 0-4 in the final of the last edition held in New Delhi.
“We definitely want to take revenge on this India team as we felt that were hard done by the referee (Singaporean Sukhbir Singh) during the last edition. We are a far superior side than India, technically and physically,” Afghanistan’s assistant coach Ali Jawad Attaii said through his interpreter — team captain Fakhruddin Amiri, who incidentally plays for I-League side Mumbai FC.
The return of captain Sunil Chhetri, who is now a couple of goals shy of being India’s highest scorer in international circuit will be a shot in the arm for the Dutch coach, who has preferred playing with a single striker employing a 4-5-1 formation rather than the usual 4-4-2.
India to host 2015 SAFF Cup
Meanwhile, India will host the 2015 tournament after a decision at the Executive Committee meeting of the South Asian body here on Tuesday. The meeting did not finalise the host city for the tournament, but said it will be held in either New Delhi or Kerala.
READ MORE - Will India reign supreme again?

Lajong edge past Manipur Arambai

Manipur soccer

Imphal, Sep 6
: Shillong Lajong FC defeated Manipur Arambai XI by 4-3 goals during penalty shootout in a charity football match at Khuman Lampak main stadium here today.

The match was organised by Wangoi Football Association to set up a football academy at Wangoi in Imphal West.

The match was also a part of Shillong Lajong’s preparation for the I-League, where they will face Dempo FC on September 24 in Goa.

Shillong Lajong FC got the break in the 12th minute from a penalty as their foreign recruit Cornell Glen converted it to perfection for the lead in the first half.

Manipur got their opening goal in the 60th minute after Md Sahidur collected a goaline pass and slammed home the equaliser to level scores. Manipur could have taken the lead but Md Sahidur wasted an opportunity, shooting wide off the box, leaving the game to be decided by a tie-break.

In the subsequent shootout, Shillong Lajong FC converted three from O. Milan Singh, Kh. Jibon and Samuel Shadap while from Manipur Arambai XI, Md Imran Khan and Md Sohail found the net.

Md Imran Khan was declared the Man of the Match.

NE soccer: Ulubari Kachari Basti Club entered the semi-finals of the Joyram Medhi and Lagun Kro fifth Northeast prize-money football tournament defeating Bishnujyoti Club, Dhupdhara 3-2 via tie-breaker after a goalless regulation time in the second quarter-final at Sarusajai sports complex today.
READ MORE - Lajong edge past Manipur Arambai