Assam win opener

SHILLONG, MARCH 18: Assam blanked Nagaland 2-0 in the opening match of the Fourth Dr. T. Ao. Football Tournament at the JN Sports Complex here on Monday.

In a lackluster match that was mostly confined to the midfield, Assam took advantage of their second-half dominance to open their account in the tournament which is played between the eight north-eastern states. For Assam, the goal scorers were Biswajit Swarkiyari in the 66^th minute and Biswamitra Basumatary in the 84^th minute.

Nagaland, which had the better of the exchanges in the first half, missed a penalty in the 37^th minute when Lipok’s shot was saved brilliantly by the Assam goalkeeper Dulu Gogoi. In fact, Gogoi performed brilliantly under the bar to foil the Naga attacks, particularly in the first half. (By Our Reporter)