Assam Police hold NFRSA to 3–3 draw; Good start for Pride East Mavericks

Our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI: Pride East Mavericks made a strong start to their Guwahati Premier League Football campaign, outclassing SAI, Guwahati 5–0 in the opening match at Judges Field on Tuesday. The second match of the day produced an intense contest, with defending champions NF Railway Sports Association (NFRSA) holding Assam Police to a 3–3 draw.

The opening match was one-sided as Pride East Mavericks took a 2–0 lead before halftime and added three more goals in the second half. Jitu Ahmed opened the scoring in the 19th minute, while Shresth Joshi doubled the lead in the 38th minute. Shresth also netted the final goal of the match in added time. The other goals came from Bijesh Sogalshem (60th minute) and L.P. Singh (71st minute).

The second match, played under floodlights, was a thrilling encounter. Assam Police led 3–1 at one stage, but the defending champions staged a strong comeback, scoring the equaliser in stoppage time. Paiminjal Lienthang (22nd minute), Shaining Sangma (44th minute) and Nabanit Buragohain (46th minute) scored for Assam Police. NFRSA replied through Souvik Kar (38th, 90+5) and Arjun Mardi (72nd).

Earlier, the president of the Guwahati Sports Association, Paresh Chandra Das, was introduced to the players before the start of the tournament opener.

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