Guwahati: Punjab FC dished out a dominant display as they clinched the AIFF U-17 Elite Youth League title after defeating Jamshedpur FC 4-1 here on Wednesday.
A superior first-half show saw Punjab surge ahead 4-0 at the break through goals from Karish Soram (28th minute), Ashish Lohar (34th), Vikash Kisku (37th) and Usham Thoungamba Singh (39th).
Heerangamba Seram (84th) pulled one back for Jamshedpur FC late in the match.
After a cagey start to the game, Karish broke the deadlock with a fine goal, curling the ball in from the corner just after the half-hour mark. The goal changed the complexion of the game.
A few minutes later, Ashish Lohar made a smart interception on the half-line, just as Jamshedpur were looking to put bodies forward in attack. The full-back sprinted up the line, turned inside, stepped past the keeper, and sent the ball into the net from an acute angle.
Punjab FC captain Aniket Yadav got involved in the third goal, making a bustling run into the box before squaring it to Kisku who tapped it in from close range.
Usham Singh was the creator and scorer of the fourth goal, as he played Thongram Rishikanta Singh into a half-space. The latter unleashed a left-footer that crashed into the upright and fell kindly into Usham’s path, as he scored into a near-empty goal.
The mountain that Jamshedpur had to climb proved to be too high in the second half. Although Heerangamba scored an 84th minute header to pull one back, they were just too far behind to mount any semblance of a comeback.
