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Invincible Arunachal SS lifts Ramanuj Gupta Super Division trophy, defeats Sporting in the final

Silchar Sporting had the opportunity to create history. They qualified for the super-four, staying at the bottom of the table, but since then their progress was noticeable. The expectations from Sporting in the final match were high, but they failed to play up to the mark, they couldn’t bring out their best against the Arunachal AC. Arunachal has won the super-division for the first time securing a victory at 3-1, and they remained unbeaten in this league.

They drew the match against Silchar Sporting in the super-four, and only in that match, Arunachal seemed to be under stress, in the rest of the matches they were in tremendous form and exhibited spirited performance. They managed to overcome all their obstacles in the final. The ground at Satindra Mohan Dev Stadium was muddy after heavy pouring and it was not suitable for a football match. Yet Arunachal SS team adapted to the circumstances. Arunachal has been relying on small and short passes so far in the tournament. But in the final, they changed the strategy and resorted to long passes. When Sporting played, aggressive football Arunachal kept their second line of defense.

Sporting didn’t play bad either; rather, they failed to utilize the chances they got. Football enthusiasts were expecting more under the floodlights from Sporting after their lively performances in the super-four, but they failed to pay back the expectations. Both the teams begin the match on a high note, the match turned very intense with the attacks and counterattacks. It was evident that Arunachal AC was taking a certain time to get the momentum in the game throughout the tournament, they just needed a breakthrough. The scene was quite similar under the floodlights. Sporting started off well but soon they came under stress with the counterattacks from Arunachal AC. Sporting Goal Keeper Bijoy Tontubai had saved three goals during the first half of the match, but at the 22nd minute, Rakesh deceived the goalkeeper and scored the first goal for Arunachal and gave a lead to Arunachal of 1-0 in the first half.

Rakesh played with extraordinary consistency throughout the tournament, take for example the first goal of the final match, there was a half chance and he converted it to a full and scored from it. He is a mature striker; nobody is there in his close proximity in terms of performance. He played in a large circumference and is very hard to restrict him. He was assisting in scoring as well as scoring for himself.

Sporting was in the game even after considering the first goal, but they lagged behind in playing passes. They missed so many passes in the final. Sporting’s midfielder Dindayal Thapa could not play the match due to a card issue; this become a factor in the final. Thapa and Laaldingsang developed good chemistry in the mid-field throughout the tournament. Thapa’s absence was evident in the midfield.

Sporting desperately tried to come back in the game even after considering the first goal, but goalkeeper Bijoy Tontubai made a grim mistake at that time, first, he had a misunderstanding with the defense and then he missed the flight. Rakesh is not someone who is going to miss out on these chances; he gave a 2-0 lead to Arunachal, on 71st minute Jibbhah Hmar scored the lone goal for Sporting. During the injury time, Thangam Lenin Singh scored the third goal for Arunachal and secured the lead of 3-1 for his team.

Rakesh Das was selected as the Player of the match in the final, he also won the awards for best forward and top scorer. The best player of the tournament is chosen Thangam Lenin Singh. Arunachal SS got rupees 35,000 for being the champion, and Siclar Sporting got rupees 25,000 as the runner up.

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