INDIA'S U-17 WORLD CUPPER Anwar Ali scored a hat-trick as Delhi FC brushed aside Rangers Sports Club to start their 2nd Division Qualifiers campaign with a massive 7-0 victory.
Attempting to qualify for the national competition for the first time, Delhi FC, which is owned by former Minerva Punjab FC owner Ranjit Bajaj, assembled an impressive squad ahead of the Delhi group of the qualifying tournaments.
The match started with Delhi FC taking the more offensive route, but the Rangers managed to hold on through the first half and the match went into half-time goalless.
But it was in the second half that Yan Law's boys started finding the net. It was the captain Anwar Ali who found the net to get the first goal from a free kick around 52 minutes in. Soon afterwards, Nikhil Mali made it 2-0. And two minutes after that, Rinreithan Shaiza made it 3-0.
Now comfortably ahead, coach Law made three substitutions, and soon afterwards two of the incoming players scored. Ajaruddin Shah almost immediately registered his name on the scoresheet. And as the game entered its final 10 minutes, Amarjit also scored.
Now leading 5-0, Delhi FC decided to go hard to run up the score. And those repeated offensive attempts got them two penalties, both of which were taken by Anwar Ali. He calmly slotted both into the net, completing his hat-trick and bringing the final score to 7-0.
Anwar Ali, who went through a harrowing experience last year to get a medical clearance to play professionally, decided to return to the club associated with the Minerva Academy, where he spent much of his youth career. Being part of Delhi FC has made him the biggest name among the local clubs in the capital and if this club manage to qualify for the 2nd Division it will also mark the return of Anwar Ali in the national stage; who was at one point staring at a premature end to his playing career after playing top division football for Indian Arrows and earning a place in the India U-23 national team.