Trijoy delivers on promise as Churchill hammer six past Aizawl

Margao: With coach Dimitris Dimitriou listening attentively during the pre-match media interaction, Churchill Brothers forward Trijoy Dias did what many players seldom do: admit that they’ve been found wanting.

“I am not really happy with my form, a bit disappointed,” Trijoy told TOI on match eve. “I had an open chance to score a goal but missed against Dempo. I am trying my best. I’ll try and score a goal against Aizawl and make this team win.”

Trijoy lived up to his word. He scored, twice, against Aizawl FC as Churchill put their disappointment behind with a 6-0 win in a lopsided I-League clash at the Panchayat ground, Raia, on Sunday.

Trijoy scored in the 27th and 79th minute, while South African striker Wayde Lekay (3’, 53’ penalty) was in fine form not just scoring goals but setting them up too. Most of what he touched inside the danger zone, turned goal, making him the leading scorer in the league. Midfielder Pape Gassama (73’), and substitute Lunminlen Haokip (90+6’) were the other goalscorers for Churchill.

It was a much-needed win, particularly after the setback against Namdhari at home. Churchill returned to the top of the table with 16 points from eight matches, two more than Inter Kashi who have a match in hand.

Playing with an all-Mizoram squad, Aizawl have now lost four of their last five matches. If the 4-3 loss against Sreenidi Deccan at home was hard enough, after leading by three goals, the heavy defeat against Churchill showed the gap that the visitors have to bridge.

Churchill started on the front foot, eager to wipe out the memories of the last home game against Nadhari, where they dominated but got nothing in return. Handed a start by Dimitriou – suspended, but coaching from the nearby stand – Trijoy was keen to prove himself and combined with Lekay to push Aizawl on the back foot.

It was Trijoy who won the ball from the Aizawl midfield in the third minute and worked his way inside the box. His attempt was foiled by defender S Lalhrezuala but the ball fell kindly for Lekay, who made no mistake from close range.

Lekay was proving to be a constant threat and Aizawl struggled to contain him, particularly inside the box. After his header missed narrowly, a chested ball from a freekick for Sebastian Gutierrez was sent wayward by the Colombian.

Churchill got their second through Trijoy, who picked up a ball from a throw-in danced his way into the box and then finished the move in style.

At 2-0, Churchill still had work to do in the second half and the hosts put the match beyond Aizawl’s reach when Lekay won and converted a penalty, early in the half.

A beautiful one-two between Pape and Sebastian saw the former score the fourth, while Trijoy got his second, and the team’s fifth, with a stiff grounder after Lekay and Anil Gaonkar had done well to get the ball inside the box in a swift counter attack.

In the sixth minute of stoppage, Churchill added their sixth through Haokip to leave Aizawl with plenty of questions.