I-League: Churchill Brothers beat Aizawl FC to jump to second in points table

Churchill Brothers extended their unbeaten streak to seven matches with a 4-1 victory over Aizawl FC at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Goa on Sunday.

Khalid Aucho and Israil Gurung scored two minutes apart from each other in the first half while Anthony Wolfe and Willis Plaza secured the win with two strikes in the second half. Ansumana Kromah score the only goal for Aizawl in the 55th minute to make it 2-1 before Wolfe and Plaza increased the margin of victory.

Churchill moved to second in the points table with 13 points from seven games, four off table leaders Chennai City. Aizawl, after their fifth defeat in eight matches and with a just one victory, are ninth in the standings.

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The home side had to deal with an early blow when centre-back Hussien Eldor was forced to be stretched off just 10 minutes into the encounter. But Churchill recovered from the early blow to take the lead in the 22nd minute.

Aizawl goalkeeper Gurpreet failed to judge the flight of the ball from an Israil Gurung free-kick allowing Aucho to sneak in and slot the ball home from close range.

Two minutes later, Churchill scored again. This time Dawda Ceesay’s dead ball was headed into the net by Gurung as the home side marched to their third victory in seven matches, with all three wins coming in the last four encounters.

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Plaza and Lalkhawpuimawia then struck the post for both sides as the first-half ended on an entertaining note.

After striking the upright through Lalkhawpuimawia in the dying minutes of first half, Aizawl pulled one back in the 55th minute with Kromah. The youngster’s cross from the right was volleyed home by the Liberian.

But Churchill soon regained their two-goal lead crushing any hopes of an Aizawl comeback. Substitute Wolfe scored the third tapping-in a Ceesay cross to make it 3-1.

Plaza, who had spurned an earlier chance and also struck the post in the first half eventually scored from the spot the 77th minute after Alfred Jaryan had handled Wayne Vaz’s cross inside his own box.

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