SHOBIT Harde scored two second half goals as Nagpur Blues thrashed former multiple-time champions Rabbani 3-0 in what was both the teams’ opening encounter of the JSW Elite Division Football Tournament at Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Stadium in Suyog Nagar, north Nagpur. Rabbani paid for their defensive lapses as Nagpur Blues forwards breached their defence time and again. Ataur Rehman (22nd) and Shobit Harde (50th, 70th) scored goals for Nagpur Blues. Rabbani, the five times champions, had the advantage of playing with an extra player for more than 20 minutes when Blues’ Jishan Ali was sent off with a red card (double yellow) in the 73rd minute of play.

 

Jishan had come in as substitute for Imtesal Khan who pulled his muscle in the 43rd minute. Rabbani started the game dominating the first 15 minutes but it was Nagpur Blues, the 2009 champions, who tasted success first against the run of play. Blues earned a free kick in the 22nd minute at the left and Imtesal lobbed a beautiful ball on the top of rectangle. An unmarked Rehman made no mistake in sending the ball to the right of the post giving no chance to Rabbani goalkeeper Alex Gregory. The beginning of the second half was similar to the first with the Kamptee-based outfit controlling the game again. But they lacked finishing.

 

Blues swelled the lead in the 57th minute when defender Rishabh Pandey ran from the right flank and combined well with Harde on the edge of the box. Harde’s shot from right was too poor to impress the spectators but Rabbani goalkeper failed to collect it as the ball rolled across the goal line. Blues were reduced to 10 men in the 73rd minute when Jishan was sent off for his second booking for dangerous play. Still, they managed to hold Rabbani. Rabbani got an opportunity to reduce the margin in the 69th minute but Sadique Athar’s powerful right footer rebounded from the cross bar. In the counter attack Blues pressed from left and a lapse from Rabbani’s defender and goalkeeper resulted in the 2009 champions scoring the third goal. Harde was again on target as he pushed the ball into the net after beating goalkeeper Gregory. On Tuesday: Big Ben vs Nagpur Academy at 2.30 pm.