Sports
Morning Premier League kickstarts: Vanguard-Old Boys beat All Blacks
Dimapur, Feb. 18 (EMN): The 5th edition of Morning Premier League (MPL) got underway at Seikhazou ground, D-Khel Kohima village on Mon. Feb. 18 with Vanguard-Old Boys beating defending champions All Blacks in the first match.
The match was evenly contested in the first 20 minutes with both the teams trying hard to find the opener. Then in the 25th minute, Senpenlo of Vanguard-Old Boys scored the first goal from a sublime through ball from Benjamin. The first half ended 1-0.
A goal from Dithanglo right after the second half in the 49th minutes sealed the fate for All Blacks. The defending champions fought back with a goal from Kechagulie in the 65th minute but their hopes were sealed as time ran out. Vanguard-Old Boys won the match 2-1.
Earlier, a short opening ceremony was held where spokesperson, NDPP and former minister, Youth Resource & Sports, Nagaland Merentoshi R Jamir attended the occasion as a special guest. In his short speech, Jamir acknowledged the MPL for being a health conscious league and for cultivating friendship through football. He further encouraged the 10 MPL teams and players to set good example of discipline – on and off the field, for younger generations to follow. He also challenged the players to be the pillars of encouragement and support for the game of football to emerge in our state.
Morning Premier League is for players above the age of 31. MPL is managed by Morning Football Association (MFA).