Willis Plaza struck twice to guide Churchill Brothers to a 2-1 win over Indian Arrows in their I League clash at the Tilak Maidan, here Saturday.
Plaza, who has also adjudged the Hero of the Match, scored his first goal in the 22nd minute off a header while his second came in the 45th minute, giving Churchill the decisive lead after Deepak Tangri's eaqualiser for Indian Arrows in the 38th minute.
With this win, Churchill are now placed second in the table with 28 points, two short of league toppers Chennai City FC.
Hosts Churchill Brothers pressed hard right from the first minute, but the young Indian Arrows defenders ensured they stand tall to their reputation. Plaza in combination with Dawda Ceesay and Anthony Wolfe kept pressing hard on the young Arrows from both sides but visitors' defenders stood strong.
On the other hand, the Indian Arrows did make some interesting moves, breaching the Churchill defense line at times, but lack of a creative finish and experience kept the youngsters away from scoring.
Churchill who did not stop with their attacks, were soon rewarded when an inch-perfect pass from Ceesay was beautifully headed inside the goal by Plaza in the 22nd minute, stunning the Arrows goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill.
The Indian Arrows attacking front kept on with their attacks in short intervals trying hard to find an equalizer.
They were soon rewarded with an equaliser in the 38th minute when Tangri headed the ball into the back of the net from an Abhijit Sarkar corner kick.
Churchill, who were now mostly attacking on the counter, led again in the 45th minute when Plaza found his second goal, showcasing individual brilliance, beating the Arrows defenders and finally keeper Gill.
The game, which was a little physical in the second half.
Indian Arrows tried making the most of the set-pieces that they were awarded with, but couldn't find the equaliser. Indian Arrows were awarded a penalty in the 84th minute but Sanjeev Stalin, who took the shot, could not convert it.
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