I-League 2021: Real Kashmir held to draw by Sudeva Delhi; Clayvin Zuniga powers Churchill Brothers to win – Sports News , Firstpost

Kalyani: Real Kashmir FC were held to a 1-1 draw by debutants Sudeva Delhi FC at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium on Tuesday.

A wonder strike by Shaiborlang Kharpan from 35 yards was cancelled out by Mason Robertson in the 75th minute, as both the teams shared the spoils of battle in a cagey match where chances were rare.

Real Kashmir had a chance in the 10th minute when Danish Farooq pounced on a loose ball and ran towards the byline to whip in a cross. His delivery missed the Kashmir forwards as well as the opposition goalkeeper as the ball went out of play.

In the 12th minute, a header off a free-kick went wide of the Sudeva goal as Real Kashmir hunted for an early lead.

With Real Kashmir dominating possession in the final third, Sudeva looked to stop their forwards by committing bodies in defence. The Delhi outfit sat back and soaked pressure, clearing away loose balls and rarely found a sniff of the Kashmir goal.

Kean Lewis, who had been a bright spark for Sudeva in the last two matches, was well marked by the opposition defence, making life extremely difficult for the winger on the flank.

In the 19th minute, Sudeva had their first shot on target when Shaiborlang Kharpan’s first-time attempt brought out a decent save from the opposition custodian.

Dangerous in counter-attack, Sudeva tried to once again breach the citadel, this time from distance in the 21st minute. However, their attempts were still kept out by the goalkeeper.

Although Real Kashmir dominated possession, the David Robertson-coached team had little to show for their efforts. The half-time scoreline read 0-0 as both the teams went into the tunnel on level.

The complexion of the match did not change much in the second half. As both the teams played cautiously and rotated possession from wing to wing, chances were few and far.

It needed something special to change the complexion of the match and that something special came in the 62nd minute. Kharpan picked up the ball almost 35 yards out and released an inch-perfect shot which crashed into the right top corner of the net to hand Sudeva the lead.

In the 72nd minute, Kharpan tried the spectacular once again, this time his shot went wide as he tried a first-time volley off a cross from the left flank.

Real Kashmir, however, did not have to wait long for the equaliser. In the 75th minute, Sena Ralte found Robertson, who had to shoot from a tight angle, but the lanky defender made the most of it and fired his effort between the legs of the opposition custodian to bag a leveller for the Kashmir outfit.

Mohammedan SC hold TRAU FC

Mohammedan SC came from two goals down to hold TRAU FC to a 2-2 draw at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium on Tuesday.

Goals by Komron Tursunov in the second minute and Helder Lobato in first-half stoppage time were cancelled out by headers from Nikhil Kadam and Hira Mondal in the 58th and 68th minutes respectively, as both the teams shared points at the end of the 90 minutes.

TRAU were given the chance to go ahead in the very first minute itself after Komron Tursunov’s header went inches over the bar.

Sixty seconds later, Komron slotted home from close range, latching on to a rebound after a defensive error handed TRAU possession of the ball just outside the opposition’s penalty box.

It could have been three goals for TRAU in under 15 minutes had the Manipur outfit taken their chances.

In the 11th minute, another howler in the defence gave Komron the ball. With only the opposition custodian to beat, the Tajik forward shot wide of the goal.

The early setback rattled Mohammedan SC and though the Kolkata-based club dominated possession, their lacklustre performance in the final third meant that TRAU FC’s goalkeeper was forced to make easy saves, coming mostly from outside the box.

On the left-wing for the Black Panthers, Nikhil Kadam proved to be a live-wire. His agile dribbling and speed caught the TRAU defenders off guard but that was not enough to find the back of the net. In the 41st minute, his shot from distance was saved easily by the TRAU custodian.

In added time at the end of the first half, TRAU were given a corner and Komron Tursunov’s delivery was thumped home by an unmarked Helder Lobato, who doubled the Manipur side’s lead going into half-time.

Trailing 0-2, the Kolkata giants committed bodies in attack to salvage at least a point from the game. In the 56th minute, Suraj Rawat tried to play a through-ball to Gourav Mukhi, but TRAU’s defence was present to see off the danger.

In the 58th minute, a corner for Mohammedan created havoc in the TRAU defence. With no defender able to clear the ball, the chance fell to Nikhil Kadam, whose quick reactions saw him produce a diving header to slot the ball home as the Black Panthers reduced their deficit.

With momentum on their side, it was only a matter of time before Mohammedan pounced for the equaliser. In the 68th minute, that came after Sarkar found Hira Mondal on the far post with a looping cross and the defender headed home to put the game back to level pegging.

Though the Black Panthers searched for the goal that would give them the lead, TRAU bolstered their defence and thwarted balls long at the sight of danger. With neither team able to create a clear goal-scoring opportunity the game finished as it started, all square as both the teams pocketed a point each.

Zuniga powers Churchill to victory

Clayvin Zuniga’s 85th-minute strike scripted Churchill Brothers’ 1-0 win over Punjab FC in an I-League match on Tuesday.

The Goan side dominated the match both in terms of possession and chances created and the Punjab FC defence was under constant threat.

In the fourth minute, Punjab FC were handed a golden opportunity when forward Chencho Gyeltshen burst forward and rounded the onrushing goalkeeper. But the Bhutanese forward’s strike was cleared from the goal-line by Suresh Meetei.

Four minutes later, Luka Majcen was put through to goal off a fine cross from the right flank. With only the opposition custodian to beat, Majcen shot over the bar and Punjab FC survived a scare.

Churchill Brothers started the second half on a strong note. In the 51st minute, Bryce Miranda cut inside from the right flank into the box and he tried to find the far left corner of the goal but his outside of the boot shot went wide of the goalpost.

For Punjab FC, chances were becoming rare and their midfield looked unable to keep possession. Despite that, Churchill could not open the Punjab outfit’s defences.

They were kept at bay right until the 85th minute when the Red Machines finally got the goal they were looking for.

The Honduran international Zuniga was found inside the box with a deft cross from the right flank and he applied a sublime touch to the ball and released a powerful shot which crashed into the back of the net.

With their second win of the season, Churchill remained on top with seven points from three matches.