NEROCA FC maul Indian Arrows 4-0 in I-League

Kalyani, Jan 20 : The North Eastern Re-Organising Cultural Association (NEROCA) FC thrashed the Indian Arrows, a developmental team of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), 4-0 for their first win of the I-League at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium here on Wednesday.
A brace by Judah Garcia and a goal apiece by Varney Kallon and Khaiminthang Lhungdim proved enough for NEROCA FC to sink the Indian Arrows.
It was one-way traffic in the first half as NEROCA FC seldom sat back in defence, playing attacking football and committing bodies to put pressure on the young Arrows. In the sixth minute, Khangam Horam missed a sitter for NEROCA when his shot from inside the box went inches over the bar, with only the opposition goalkeeper to beat. Five minutes later, Judah Garcia’s shot from a tight angle flew whiskers wide from the goal.
The first clear chance for the Indian Arrows came in the 17th minute when Harsh Patre’s free kick from the edge of the box was heroically saved by Bishorjit Singh. But despite the Arrows’ valiant efforts to grab an early lead, the young side conceded two goals in quick succession as the complexion of the match changed.
First, Judah Garcia’s strike from distance stunned the Arrows’ goalkeeper and caught him off guard, as the ball crept in from his near post to hand NEROCA the lead on the 27th minute. Then, on the 30th minute, Varney Kallon slotted his effort into the back of the net to double the Manipur outfit’s lead, striking a killer blow to the momentum brewed by Arrows minutes before.
Despite that the Indian Arrows showed their fighting spirit and tried to restrict play in NEROCA’s half. However valiant their efforts were, the Arrows were kept at bay easily as they went into the half-time two goals behind their opponents.