Neha, Anita Kumari, and Lynda Kom, netted three goals each as India thrashed Bhutan 12-0 in their opening match of the SAFF U-20 Women’s football Championship here on Friday.
India was far superior in all departments of the game but took time to settle down and once their players found their rhythm they reduced the contest to a totally one sided affair.
It was Kajol Dsouza, who first beat the defence, as she latched on to a ball in the opposition third, drove her way into the Bhutan box, and squared it for Apurna, who poked it past a hapless Bhutan keeper.
Head coach Maymol Rocky made an early change, bringing on Neha in place of Sumati Kumari, and India soon doubled their lead. Apurna was again in the thick of things as she beat Bhutan keeper Norbu Zangmo, and calmly put it into the back of the net.
Substitute Neha soon made her mark on the game as she zipped into the box from the left and sent in a low cross for Nitu Linda to tap it in, after the latter missed a similar open goal just minutes earlier.
Neha turned scorer two minutes into the first half added time, as she produced an amazing individual effort that meant India took a four goal lead into the tunnel at the breather.
The Young Tigresses picked up where they had left off in the second half, when Sunita Munda and Anita Kumari also came on to join the fray. It did not take the latter much time to put her own name on the scoresheet, as she tapped a cross by Neha into the net just five minutes into the second half.
Another five minutes later, Anita turned provider, feeding a low cross to Neha, who duly obliged for the sixth.
With 30 minutes left on the clock, Maymol introduced Lynda Kom and Tania Kanti into the game, and the former immediately scored India’s seventh goal of the game off an Anita cross. Lynda scored her second just two minutes later, this time it was Neha with the assist.
Anita Kumari used her pace to get behind the Bhutan defence and calmly slotted it past the keeper to score her second with just a little over 20 minutes of regulation time left on the clock.
Lynda Kom completed her hat-trick with 15 minutes left, when Anita intercepted a clearance by the keeper and passed to the former, who was calm enough to poke it home.
Anita completed her own hat-trick minutes later, when she broke free on the right, entered the box and slit it between the keeper and the near post. Babina Lisham was brought on in the dying stages in place of Kajol, and she soon set Anita on her way on the right. The speedy winger darted into the box and sent it in for Neha, who completed her own hat-trick, to wrap-up the match 12-0 in her side’s favour.