PANAJI: Indian Arrows in their I-League opener on Wednesday.
The team carrying the hopes of the nation's football for the future, started their journey in grand fashion with a 3-0 demolition of
Chennai City FC
at the GMC Athletic Stadium near here.
Aniket Jadhav
scored twice, once in each half, duly collecting the player of the match award and another goal by star of the Fifa U-17 World Cup team
Boris Singh Thangjam
late in the match did much to silence the sceptics frowning on
Luis Norton de Matos
' team participating among senior teams.
The Portuguese went through pains pre-match in emphasizing that it was the process, not results, that mattered.
Not surprisingly, Matos started with 10 of his plucky U-17 World Cup team and Jadhav for one wasn't overawed by thoughts of experience or physicality of the opponents.
The youngster from Kolhapur had the first open chance in the match, volleying over the bar in the ninth minute and shortly later crossed for
Suresh Wangjam
who headed waywardly.
Chennai, fielding three foreigners, looked impatient to take the lead and Frenchman Jean
Michael Joachim
's poor finish to
Pradeep Mohanraj
's pass midway through the first half did not do justice to what would become a rare chance for his side.
Arrows though, displaying a sense of discipline that could be a source of envy for their floundering adversaries, retained possession and cohesion and Boris, surging up field, found
Rahul Balan
ideally placed to effect a cross for Aniket to provide the coup de grace in the20th minute.