Thai League 1: Njiva Rakotoharimalala’s double moves Ratchaburi into second

Madagascar national team forward Njiva Rakotoharimalala scored both goals on Friday as Ratchaburi FC seized second place on the Thai League 1 table with a 2-1 comeback victory at Sukhothai.

The 33-year-old scorched one of his former clubs, providing both goals in the second half including a penalty kick to complete the victory in the 71st minute.

Ratchaburi fell behind to a Mateusinho penalty close to halftime but recoverd to turn in a better performance in the second half. Close to the hour mark, a quick and efficient counter-attack put the Malagasy legend off into space on the left wing before faking out a defender to finish past Sukhothai keeper Kittipun Saensuk.

 

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Twelve minutes later, the goal-scoring winger finished a penalty kick opportunity to confirm three points and bring his total to eleven goals in all competitions. Njiva came out on top in a duel against fellow Madagascar national team attacker Jhon Baggio, who he used to play with at Sukhothai.

A prolific scorer for his country and in the Thai League 1

Now 33-years-old, Njiva is enjoying his best season in Thailand since he made an excellent first impression with Sukhothai during the 2018 season. He competed in Asian continental football for the first time this season as Ratchaburi advanced to the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League Two where they fell to finalists Gamba Osaka after extra time.

Njiva, who became known in Madagascar from his goal-scoring heroics with CNaPS Sport in the center of the island nation, won eleven trophies with the club before moving abroad.

He is the country’s third all-time leading scorer with 14 goals in 56 appearances for Barea, notably scoring the goal that qualified the nation for their debut Africa Cup of Nations finals appearance in 2019. They defeated Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in that match, setting the stage for a historic quarterfinal finish at the tournament in Egypt to announce the country’s presence on the African stage.

After leading the club to five consecutive Malagasy top flight titles between 2013 and 2017, his opportunity to move to Thailand arrived after scoring three goals as the Barea came just short of qualifying for the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN). The goals on a larger stage led to his first move to Thailand with Sukhothai.

Other than a brief spell in the fourth tier of French football with FC Fleury 93 in 2019, he has spent his club career in Thailand. He has accumulated 65 goals and 18 assists in 125 appearances in Thai football, mostly spent in the top flight Thai League 1.