Mizoram and Punjab got their Santosh Trophy campaigns off to winning starts with contrasting victories on Monday.
While Mizoram ran past Maharashtra 3-1, Punjab scraped through to 2-1 win over Railways.
Mizoram surged into an early lead with Lalchhuanawma Vanchhawng scoring in the 8th minute. Stung early, Maharashtra tried to regroup and it paid dividends when Under-21 player Rahul Das restored parity four minutes later. But it was Mizoram who seized the initiative just prior to the interval when Lalfakzuala Fakzuala put them ahead in the 44th minute. Lalrinpuia sealed the victory with a third for Mizoram in the 55th minute.
By contrast, Punjab had to battle hard to edge out Railways. Under-21 player Manvir Singh put Punjab in the lead in the 16th minute. Railways restored parity through striker Rajesh Soosanayakam in the 59th minute. Punjab came back strongly scoring in the very next minute through Rajbir Singh.
The scores
- Mizoram 3 (Lalchhuanawma Vanchhawng, Lalfakzuala Fakzuala, Lalrinpuia) beat Maharashtra 1 (Rahul Das).
- Punjab 2 (Manvir Singh, Rajbir Singh) beat Railways 1 (Rajesh Soosanayakam).
