I-League: Sudeva return to winning ways, Churchill Brothers fight back against Kenkre

It was a goal-fest across both I-League fixtures today as Sudeva climb to within three points of Kenkre.

Sudeva Delhi’s run of eight winless games in the Hero I-League at the Chhatrasal Stadium came to an end with an emphatic 4-1 victory for the side from the Capital against TRAU FC on Wednesday, February 23, 2023. This was their first win at home this season.

A completely different approach by Sankarlal Chakraborty’s men meant that Sudeva Delhi never really looked like bottom-dwellers against fourth-placed TRAU. It took them a little over 30 minutes to break the deadlock through R Lalbiakliana, with Sielenthang Lotjem doubling the lead just minutes later. Bidyananda Singh pulled one back for TRAU just ahead of the breather, but Alexis Gomez and Hriivei Pao netted two more to give the hosts a comfortable win.

Sudeva shrug off slow start by dominating set-pieces

It was TRAU who started the I-League game with the attacking intent and even came close to opening the scores early on in the third minute, but Sudeva captain Priyant Kumar Singh got a hand on the cutback from Gerson Vieira, who was looking to put the ball into the path of Fernandinho waiting at the far post.

However, it did not take Sudeva too long to get a grasp of their opposition and take control of the game. Argentine Alexis Gomez hit the cross-bar in the 15th minute, while R Lalbiakliana, who constantly got into interesting positions during the set pieces, saw his free header at the far post saved by the TRAU goalkeeper Shayan Roy.

At the half-hour mark, Lalbiakliana found himself free in the opponent’s box but before he could pull the trigger, TRAU’s Naresh Singh slid in to clear the ball. Sudeva soon got back-to-back corners and it was from the second of these corners that Shavkati Khotam found Lalbiakliana, who was lurking unmarked inside the box. The 18-year-old made no mistake as he put the ball into the back of the net with a powerful header.

The hosts doubled their advantage four minutes later, when Gomez found some space outside the penalty area and produced a defence-splitting pass for Seilenthang Lotjem, who calmly finished it past the keeper.

TRAU get one back but Johnson sees red

The visitors got one back in the 42nd minute, when Bidyananda Singh’s low shot on goal hit the inside of the post before going in. TRAU looked to be clawing back into the game when an altercation on the pitch meant that several players received bookings from referee K Ramdasan. Amidst the melee, Salam Johnson Singh was sent off.

The man advantage worked well for Sudeva in the second half, and Gomez soon won a penalty 10 minutes after the restart after being fouled by Bidyananda Singh inside the box. The Argentine stepped up to the spot for the penalty and sent the opposition keeper the wrong way, to restore the two-goal lead.

Sudeva put the game beyond TRAU

With a little over 20 minutes of regulation time left, substitute Hriivei Carlos Pao added a fourth, after Lalbiakliana found him with a wonderful pass, as the former put it past the keeper.

Shubho Paul almost added a fifth on the 83rd minute, when he glided past two defenders, entered the box, and pulled the trigger, but it went wide. With this win, Sudeva move to 12 points on the Hero I-League table, but remain at rock bottom. However, they are now just three points away from nearest rivals Mumbai Kenkre FC.

Churchill show resolve to beat Kenkre

Churchill Brothers came back from behind twice to beat Mumbai Kenkre FC 3-2 in the Hero I-League 2022-23 at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco Da Gama, Goa, on Wednesday, February 22, 2023.

Scoring goals has hardly been a problem for the Red Machines this I-League season. It is defending that has let them down often. And it seemed for a long time today that it will be the case once again. But substitute Emmanuel Yaghr dived like a swimmer into the pool to head in Hero of the Match Martin Chaves’s cross from the left and ensured three points in the 74th minute.

The day, however, started on a grim note for the hosts. In only the fourth minute, captain Momo Cisse was outdone by Kenkre’s Nigerian forward Francis Nwankwo on a counter-attack. His perfect cross along the ground to the center of the box was calmly tapped in by Nepalese midfielder Anjan Bista to make it 1-0.

Churchill strike back immediately

But Churchill were into the opponents’ penalty box within a minute to earn a corner from the left. As Chaves took the shot, Ponif Vaz was brought down in the box and referee Mithun Kumar Kundu awarded a penalty amidst protests. Cisse stepped up and put a right-footed grounder into the deep left corner of the goal.

Francis got a golden chance in the 19th minute to regain the lead for Kenkre. It was another counter-attack that caught the Churchill defence napping. But this time goalkeeper Albino Gomes came out to narrow the angle for Francis, and the Kenkre forward ended up shooting at Gomes’ body.

Chaves, the owner of the midfield on the day, took a free-kick from the right flank straight into the goal in the 35th minute. Kenkre custodian Tenzin Samdup palmed it out with his left hand, only as far as Vaz. His volley went to unmarked Lalkhawpuimawia at the far post, who incredibly failed to head it in.

Abdoulaye Sane had enough time and space to convert a through pass in the 51st minute but blew it, shooting well over the bar. That miss came back to bite Churchill eight minutes later. Francis headed in Aman Gaikwad’s corner from the left to put Kenkre into the lead again.

Sudeva see a clear path to safety

However, Chaves took it upon himself this time to score the equaliser. His right-footer a couple of minutes later from outside the box bounced just in front of a diving Samdup and kept going away. The Kenkre goalie did get a hand to it. Nevertheless, it found the net off the post.

Sane had a terrible day in office as he even failed to accept Kenkre defender Rapahel Rim’s gift in the 70th minute. Rim should have headed the cross away easily. He headed it on to Sane’s foot instead. But the French forward shot wide. However, he redeemed himself to some extent in the final minutes of the match as he had to stand in goal in place of an injured Gomes. But Yaghr had headed in Chaves’s cross long before that and Kenkre did not have much left in the tank.

With a resounding 4-1 victory over TRAU earlier in the day, bottom-placed Sudeva Delhi are now just three points behind Kenkre. While Churchill climbed up to the fourth spot on the Hero I-League table with 29 points in 19 matches.