GUWAHATI, July 7 � The Golaghat Rhino FC boys put up a spirited show before going down 2-3 to host FC Green Valley on a last minute goal by Nigerian striker George Prince.
It was an entertaining first leg quarterfinal match of the Assam State Premier League at the Nehru Stadium here today as the visitors went 2-0 ahead in the 24th minute. But the experienced Green Valley players made a tremendous fightback and finally turned the table on the opponent striking thrice.
The return leg will be held at Golaghat on July 11 and aggregate of the goal will decide the final result of the match.
The Golaght team went ahead in the very second minute when Bishal Hojai�s shot from the right flank entered into gaol deflecting off the Green Valley custodian Satish Singh. In the 27th minute Sirandeep Moran tried to feed Faniyan O Abidemis inside the box but the Green Valley defender Anitya Rabha deflected the ball into his own goal.
Stung by the reverses the host team players shook up from the slumber and started building moves dominating the middle third of the pitch. Ace striker Michael Lucky was fed by Rudra Boro at the top of the box and the powerful Nigerian striker dodged past two opponent defenders and fired home.
After changing over, the Green Valley players were seen in different form and levelled the issue in the 46th minute. Making a perfect follow Rudra put the ball into the net as the opponent goalkeeper Rakesh Karmakar fumbled in gathering the ball off a shot from Jeorge Prince.
The final goal was a spectacular one as anticipating a pass from skipper Lucky Imran at the fag end of the match, George made a cut into the Golaghat striking zone and fired home with a powerful grounder.
Golaghat midfielder Gorachand Marandi showed his class. He toiled a lot in feeding their frontliners Faniyan, Bisal Hojai and Edache Francis.
On the otherhand the local team squadered a couple of easy scoring opportunities, particularly in the second session, George miss in a point blank situation in the 80th minute.
Morning Star drub Tezpur: At Dipuh, host Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC handed a 4-0 drubbing to Tezpur United.
In the one-sided affair Lachit Bora opened the account in the 45th minute while L Kevi Zhimomi made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute. Sibra Narzary enhanced the margin in the 55th minute while Zhimomi completed the rout in the 70th minute.
