AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: Fresh from their exposure campaign of the United Arab Emirates, the Indian U-16 Colts showcased little complacency as they thrashed Maharashtra XI 8-0 in their first Exhibition match at the Cooperage Stadium in Mumbai.

The Indian Colts took the game by the scruff of its neck right from the word go as in the 1^st minute itself the Colts came close to opening the goal scoring charts as Aman tried a spectacular long shot which went over the bar.

The floodgates eventually opened in the 17^th minute when Aman Chhetri tapped in a Sanjeev cross from the left flank to hand India the lead.

Six minutes later, the Colts scored again through Komal and took a 2-0 lead over their opponents. In the 27^th minute, Komal once again popped up in the 18 yard box and blasted his opportunity into the back of the net to make it 3-0 in India’s favor.

Aman Chhetri made it 4-0 shortly after as he rounded the opponent custodian and hammered home. In the 42^nd minute, Aman completed his hattrick as he scored sublimely to give India an unassailable 5-0 lead.

With Aman in red-hot goal scoring form, the Colts tore apart Maharashtra XI with passing second. The man of the moment, Aman Chhetri, scored his fourth goal of the match right at the edge of half-time as the score-line read 6-0.

With the match done and dusted in the first half itself, the second half became nothing but a formality. And even then the Indian Colts scored twice; courtesy of a Saurabh Meher goal in the 69^th minute and an Abhijit Sarkar goal in the 85^th minute, as the full-time scoreline read 8-0 in India’s favor.