Mokokchung, 26 October (MTNews): The penultimate day of the group stages in the ongoing Mokokchung District Football Association (MDFA) Trophy 2023 saw a couple of one-sided games as Telongjem FC convincingly humbled NU Lumami while Zonipang SA suffered a humiliating loss to Konyak Students Union Mokokchung (KSUM).
In the first match of the day, defending champions Telongjem FC got the better of NU Lumami to register an empathic 6-0 win to qualify for the quarterfinals as Pool B winners. Despite their defeat, NU Lumami also advanced to the knockout stages as second-place team in Pool B. Both teams had already secured their quarterfinal berths prior to the match, making it a showdown to determine the group winner, a contest ultimately dominated by Telongjem FC.
The first half of the game was closely contested, suggesting a possible draw until Shuruosul Zhotsu broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute. Telongjem FC ended the first half with a 1-0 lead.
The second half, however, was a completely different ballgame as Telongjem seized total control of the game. Seiminthang Haokip extended their lead with a goal in the 58th minute for Telongjem while Kevisanyu Peseyie added a third in the 71st minute. NU Lumami was left in total disarray and the final 5 minutes of the game saw Telongjem hammering in 3 more goals. Seiminthang Haokip scored in the 88th and 90th minutes to complete his hat trick while Robinson Khongsai added another goal in injury time to script another comprehensive win for Telongjem FC.
The second match of the day saw the first glut of the tournament as David of KSUM found the back of the net five times against Zonipang SA. Phillimon, Angki, Lempha, and Shaomoi also scored a goal each in the 34th, 47th, 66th and 75th minutes to inflict on Zonipang SA a defeat that could possibly be the worst loss suffered by a former champion in MDFA history.
David, donning jersey number 8 for KSUM, scored in the 31, 39, 65, 88 and 89 minute, establishing himself as the runaway leading scorer in the tournament with a total of 9 goals. Previously, he had netted four goals against the Legendary Yeomanly Misfits.
Dead Rubber to end group stages
The lone match on the last day of the group stages of the ongoing MDFA Trophy 2023 is dead rubber. Arka United will play against 16 United Brothers on 27 October in a Pool B encounter.
However, both teams have secured zero points from their previous two matches, rendering the outcome of their fixture inconsequential. Both teams have already been eliminated from the competition.
The MDFA Trophy 2023 has yet to witness a single drawn game, and the dead rubber between Arka United and 16 United Brothers is the last opportunity for such an outcome. Arka United has conceded 6 goals in 2 games while 16 United Brothers have conceded 11 goals in 2 games. Arka United have managed to score in both of their games despite losing both games while the 16 United Brothers have yet to score a single goal in the tournament. Ironically, if Arka manage to score 5 goals in the dead rubber, 16 United Brothers would end up conceding a total of 16 goals.