Bodoland FC blank ITBP to seal historic quarterfinal spot
Both teams came into the contest unbeaten, but the hosts, unchanged from the side that stunned ISL outfit Punjab FC except for Urjoy Brahma replacing Manabir Basumatary at left-back, immediately took control in drizzling rain. Colombian striker Robinson led the line in Vikash Panthi's 4-2-3-1, while ITBP head coach Surojit Kumar Prodhani made four changes to his 4-3-3 in search of a more attacking edge.
The opening exchanges saw Bodoland dominate possession, with Junior Onguene, Pedro Astray, and Robinson testing ITBP goalkeeper Ugesh Lama. Against the run of play, ITBP almost snatched the lead in the 14th minute when Srikumar Karjee broke through, only to drag his shot wide.
Bodoland's breakthrough arrived in the 25th minute, when Pedro Astray put a peach of a ball from his free-kick near the halfway line, Timothi Narzary, who had shot wide a minute earlier, rose to the occasion to head powerfully down at the near post, giving Lama no chance and igniting the stands.
Twelve minutes later, Bodoland doubled their advantage when Pradipta Biswas fouled Robinson inside the box and the referee wasted no time in pointing towards the spot. Spaniard Pedro stepped up to convert the spot-kick with a precise left-foot strike into the bottom right corner.
The home side were relentless with their waves of attack, and in the 40th minute they made it 3–0 with a sweeping team move. Robinson fed Junior, whose defence-splitting diagonal pass released Gwgwmsar Gayary. The winger coolly slotted between Lama's legs to put Bodoland firmly in control at the break.
The second half opened with end-to-end action despite heavier rain. ITBP's best chance came just after the hour mark when a loose back pass gifted Leimajan Singh a sight at goal, but Bodoland's defence recovered swiftly. Junior thought he had scored the fourth in the 78th minute only for the offside flag to deny him.
The fourth did arrive in the 82nd minute. From Pedro's corner, Lama's punch fell to Rabha outside the box, whose shot deflected to Abdul Samed Ango. The Ghanaian pounced, firing low into the near post to complete the rout.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
41 minutes ago
- First Post
'I'm not going to cover it': Carlos Alcaraz blasts official over sponsorship row in Cincinnati Open
Carlos Alcaraz engaged in a heated confrontation with the umpire during the Cincinnati Open on Wednesday. The conflict was related to tournament sponsorship. While he is well known for his composed demeanour on court, in a rare instance, Carlos Alcaraz could not hide his frustration with the chair umpire as he was seen engaging in a heated exchange at the Cincinnati Open. The incident took place on Wednesday when Alcaraz was up against Luca Nardi in the round of 16 match-up of the tournament. Although Alcaraz was able to register a routine 6-1, 6-4 victory, what transpired with the official drew more attention than the match itself. During the first set, umpire Greg Allensworth asked the Spaniard to cover the logo on his water bottle, citing conflicts with official sponsorship deals. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read | What is myasthenia gravis? Former tennis star Monica Seles reveals battle with rare autoimmune disease Alcaraz takes on umpire at Cincy Open Alcaraz refused to follow the directive and passionately argued with Allensworth before simply continuing to use his water bottle as usual. 'Yeah but it wasn't my fault,' he was quoted as saying by Express. 'Why would I have to cover it when it wasn't my fault? Because it's your fault you're saying I have to cover it now? No, I'm not going to cover it.' The episode did not unsettle the No.2 seed as he continued to showcase brilliant tennis and convincingly won the first set, 6-1. Nonetheless, he was in a spot of bother in the second set when Nardi was up 4-2. But, as he so often does, the 22-year-old found his rhythm again and wrapped the set with a 6-4 scoreline. With the win, he has moved to the quarterfinals of the tournament, where he will face Andrey Rublev. Following the end of the match, Alcaraz did not pay any heed to the argument with the umpire and instead reflected on his performance. 'I think this match was the best so far for me in this tournament,' he said. 'At the beginning for the tournament, I just really wanted to get better every day, after every practice and every match. I think I'm doing it, which I'm really proud about. I'm just happy with the way I felt the ball today.'
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Carlos Alcaraz faces looming punishment after fiery outburst at umpire, defies instructions at Cincinnati Open
Carlos Alcaraz has put himself in a position to face a potential suspension after a fiery exchange with the umpire during his latest win at the Cincinnati Open. The second seed comfortably reached the round of 16 of the Masters 1000 event after beating Luca Nardi 6-1, 6-4. Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays a drop shot during the match against Luca Nardi of Italy during Day 7 of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center(Getty Images via AFP) However, his victory was overshadowed by an incident that took place during the first set. In a break of play, umpire Greg Allensworth asked Alcaraz to cover the logo on his water bottle, explaining that it contradicted the tournament's sponsorship deals. "It's what we've been told," the umpire said. The Spaniard refused to follow the order, instead responding with a heated argument. Alcaraz continued using the water bottle as it was, without covering the logo. "Yeah, but it wasn't my fault," he said. "Why would I have to cover it when it wasn't my fault? Because it's your fault, you're saying I have to cover it now? No, I'm not going to cover it." Although the organisers have yet to make an official statement on the matter, the confrontation has put Alcaraz at risk of facing a substantial fine. The incident had no apparent effect on his performance as he breezed through the opening set in just 27 minutes, winning 13 of the first 14 points. However, he lost some momentum in the second set, falling behind 2-4 before rallying to win four games in a row and close out the match. Alcaraz will next face Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. After the win, the world No. 2 refused to dwell on the controversy, choosing instead to focus on his performance. "I think this match was the best so far for me in this tournament," he said. "At the beginning of the tournament, I just really wanted to get better every day, after every practice and every match. I think I'm doing it, which I'm really proud about. I'm just happy with the way I felt the ball today."
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Tennis-Defending champions Sabalenka, Sinner advance in rain-hit Cincinnati Open
-World number one Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals with a 6-1 7-5 win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Wednesday, while defending champion Jannik Sinner beat Adrian Mannarino following a lengthy rain delay. Tennis-Defending champions Sabalenka, Sinner advance in rain-hit Cincinnati Open Fresh off a thrilling third-round battle with Emma Raducanu, reigning champion Sabalenka had an easier ride against the Spaniard, earning her tour-leading 50th win in one hour and 20 minutes. "I was up a break, made a couple of mistakes and she broke me back," Sabalenka said. "I'm glad to win in straight sets. I didn't want to stay for three hours." The Belarusian will next meet Elena Rybakina in a final-worthy showdown, as the ninth-seeded Kazakh rallied to beat Madison Keys 6-7 6-4 6-2. Earlier, third seed Iga Swiatek reached the quarters with a 6-4 6-4 win over Sorana Cirstea, with the Wimbledon champion extending her perfect record against the Romanian to 5-0. "We played many tough matches, so I know Sorana can really hit the ball well, especially on faster surfaces," Poland's Swiatek said. "Not many of my first serves went in, but I was happy I was solid on my second serves." Fellow Pole Magda Linette secured her second Top-10 win of the season, upsetting fourth seed Jessica Pegula 7-6 3-6 6-3 in a third-round match that extended over two days after Tuesday's suspension due to rain. SINNER, ALCARAZ THROUGH In the men's draw, top seed Sinner kept his title defence on track, beating France's Mannarino 6-4 7-6 after an almost three-hour rain interruption. The Italian struggled to find his rhythm, failing to serve out at 6-5 but sealing the tiebreak with back-to-back aces for his 24th consecutive hard-court victory. "He is a very tough opponent. Very different from other opponents, not only because he is a lefty but how he hits the ball. It's very low," Sinner said. "I just tried to serve well and tried to see what I could do in the return games." Sinner will face 23rd seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in his fifth quarter-final this year. Second seed Carlos Alcaraz booked his 18th Masters 1000 quarter-final by beating Italy's Luca Nardi 6-1 6-4. The Spaniard, into the last eight in Cincinnati for the third time, has now won 36 of his last 38 matches. "This match was the best so far for me in this tournament," Alcaraz said. "I'm really happy with the way I felt the ball today and the way that I moved. I got used to the conditions, the humidity and heat. I'm happy to get through." Ben Shelton, whose match was also halted after the first set, progressed to the last 16 with a 7-6 6-3 win over Roberto Bautista Agut. The American fifth seed will face Czech Jiri Lehecka. Alexander Zverev completed a 6-4 6-4 win over Brandon Nakashima after the match was suspended overnight when he was leading 5-4 in the second set. The German third seed is set to return to the court later on Wednesday, aiming to avenge last week's Toronto semi-final loss to Russian Karen Khachanov. French qualifier Terence Atmane earned the biggest win of his career by stunning fourth seed Taylor Fritz 3-6 7-5 6-3, earning his first Masters 1000 quarter-final berth. Atmane will meet seventh seed Holger Rune, who advanced after Frances Tiafoe retired due to a back injury. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
