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I-League: Manzi propels Chennai to top of table
Coimbatore, Dec 29 (IANS) Pedro Manzi smashed his second hat-trick of the season as Chennai City FC thrashed Shillong Lajong FC 6-1 to restore their lead at the top of the I-League table here on Saturday.
In a free-flowing and entertaining encounter, it was yet again an all-Spanish scorers list for the home side with Nestor Jesus netting a brace and defender Roberto Eslava getting his second of the season, besides Manzi’s three goals.
Shillong’s only goal was scored by captain Samuel Lalmuanpuia from a stunner of a free kick.
With this win, Chennai move to the top of the table with 21 points from 10 games. Neroca FC of Manipur are now second with 18 points from the same number of games.
Shillong remain at the bottom of the table, suffering their eighth loss from 10 games and have just four points.
The first half saw Chennai go two goals up with Nestor opening the scoring on the 12th minute from a smartly crafted free kick into the box by Sandro Rodriguez. Nestor’s snap shot hit the underside of the bar and crossed the line, which was rightly judged by the linesman.
Manzi then missed a couple of golden chances to score with one hitting the post on the 32nd minute before an unchallenged Roberto Eslava doubled the lead on the 38th from a powerful header off a Sandro Rodriguez corner. This was his second goal of the 12th Hero I-League.
Manzi got his first of the game four minutes into the second half when Shillong captain Samuel Lalmuanpuia lost the ball inside his half to Edwin Vanspaul, who found Manzi with a beautiful ball. The Spaniard slid through two defenders into the box and neatly chipped it past Lachempa. It was also Edwin’s first of three assists on the day.
The Lajong captain made amends four minutes later with a cracker of a free kick from about 30 yards out. His booming drive beat Chennai keeper Santana for pace and power to pull one back for the visitors.
Chennai then scored three in the space of 11 minutes to put the issue decisively beyond the young visitors.
Nestor Jesus first latched onto a clever ball played on by Manzi for him inside the box and the former made no mistake with a left-footed strike for his sixth goal of the campaign.
On the 78th minute, Edwin found Manzi inside the box with a lovely chip, which the Spaniard brought down with his thigh and volleyed on the turn to beat Lachempa all ends up.
Two minutes later, Edwin played a part in yet another goal, when he was brought down inside the box and Manzi converted the penalty. Though Lachempa guessed right and even got a hand to it, he could not keep it from crossing the line.
To Shillong’s credit, they never stopped attacking and Sheen, on the 76th minute, missed a one-on-one with the keeper after a wonderful build-up, hitting straight at Santana in the Chennai goal. Kitbok on the follow up also hit the side-netting.
Pedro Manzi now has seven goals in the 12th Hero I-League and is just one behind top scorer Willis Plaza of Churchill Brothers. The four Spaniards have now scored 18 of Chennai’s 22 goals so far.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.