Manipur team stung by the defeat to Meghalaya in their previous game, ran rampant against a hapless Bengal side at the Kalinga Stadium in the evening kick-off. The loss means Bengal are now knocked out of the competition, with two games yet to play.
Manipur's architect in chief was Subash Singh, who rolled back the year in a scintillating performance right from the start. Singh had a part to play in each of Manipur's goals, his pass sending Naoba Meitei into space on the right in the first half, from which the youngster finished brilliantly, shooting into the far corner, from an acute angle. For Bengal, the pain soon got worse.
Having conceded a needless freekick at the top of the box, Bengal saw the effort tipped on to the crossbar by Raja Barman, only for it to loop back straight into Subash's path a yard from goal. He gratefully headed it in, sparking a melee inside the goal itself.
