Kolkata, July 31 (IANS) Basit Ahmed Bhat’s quickfire second-half brace, coupled with first-half strikes from Marat Tareck and Gnohere Krizo, guided Samaleswari Sporting to an emphatic 4-1 victory over Baghpat FC in a Group B fixture of the 135th Durand Cup at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Thursday.
Basit Ahmed Bhat netted twice after the break, while Marat Tareck and Gnohere Krizo were also on target for the Odisha-based outfit. Crispin Cleetus scored the lone goal for Baghpat FC.
Having suffered a narrow defeat in their opening fixture, Samaleswari Sporting bounced back impressively to register their maiden win of the campaign and keep their qualification hopes alive. The defeat, meanwhile, condemned Durand Cup debutants Baghpat FC to their second consecutive loss of the tournament.
Both sides lined up in a traditional 4-4-2 formation. Samaleswari Sporting fielded an attacking partnership of Gnohere Krizo and Marat Tareck, while Baghpat FC looked to Senthamil S. and Piyush Sikarwar to lead the line.
The match began at a frenetic pace, with both teams looking to attack at every opportunity. Samaleswari struck first in the 10th minute through a swift counter-attack. Rashid M. broke away down the right flank and squared the ball for Krizo, whose close-range effort was saved by the goalkeeper. The rebound fell kindly to Marat Tareck, who tapped into an empty net to hand the Odisha-based side an early lead.
The end-to-end nature of the contest continued, and Baghpat FC found an equaliser in the 30th minute. Piyush Sikarwar laid the ball into the path of Crispin C. Cleetus, who unleashed a stunning left-footed strike from outside the penalty area. The effort flew beyond the diving Aaryan Anjaneya and nestled into the top corner to level the scores.
Samaleswari, however, regained the lead in first-half stoppage time. Basit Ahmed Bhat’s long free-kick into the penalty area struck Krizo on the thigh before looping over the stranded Baghpat goalkeeper Ayan Bhattacharya and into the back of the net, restoring the advantage for the Odisha outfit just before the interval.
The second half belonged almost entirely to Samaleswari Sporting, who controlled possession and dictated the tempo. Their dominance was rewarded in the 56th minute when Basit Ahmed Bhat extended the lead, meeting substitute Veer Arjun Joshi’s corner with a composed finish to make it 3-1.
Five minutes later, Basit struck again to put the result beyond doubt. A well-worked short-corner routine between Veer Arjun Joshi and fellow substitute Cris Nowang Sherpa created the opening, with Sherpa delivering an inviting cross into the box. Basit timed his run to perfection and powered a looping header beyond the goalkeeper to complete his brace and make it 4-1.
With a comfortable three-goal advantage, Samaleswari eased the tempo and controlled the remainder of the contest. They dominated possession, frustrated Baghpat’s attempts to mount a comeback and limited the debutants to very few openings in the final third.
The Odisha-based side nearly added a fifth goal in the 90th minute when Armand Bazie tried his luck from long range, but the Ivorian’s powerful effort drifted narrowly wide of the target. Samaleswari comfortably negotiated the five minutes of added time to secure a convincing and thoroughly deserved victory.
Tomorrow’s matches:
Shillong Lajong FC vs Nongkseh SS&CC (Group E), 5:00 PM, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
East Bengal FC vs CISF Protectors (Group A), 7:30 PM, Kishore Bharati Krirangan (KBK), Kolkata
–IANS
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