Marshall's late equaliser helps Sreenidi Deccan hold Real Kashmir

The draw left both teams with just one win in four games.

Fredsan Marshall scored a 90th-minute equaliser to salvage a point for Sreenidi Deccan FC in their clash against Real Kashmir FC in the 2021-22 I-League at the Kalyani Stadium, here on Friday.

Sreenidi Deccan had lost two and won one in their previous three games of the season. Real Kashmir on the other hand, had a win, a draw, and a loss to their name prior to this game. Although they suffered a 1-5 thrashing against Gokulam Kerala FC, they wanted to quickly get that result off everybody’s mind.

In the early exchange, Sreenidi Deccan tried to rush the Real Kashmir defenders which resulted in a corner in the fourth minute of the game. Konsham Phalguni put a looping ball inside the box but Tiago Adan cleared it easily to deny the threat.

Real Kashmir didn’t get bogged down and earned a corner on the ninth minute. Surchandra Singh crossed it in but the ball went directly into the hands of Sreenidi goalkeeper Shibinraj Kunniyil.

Slowly Sreenidi Deccan FC gathered momentum as they garnered more possession and waited for their opportunity to arrive. They were constantly pressuring the opposition but lacked penetration in the final third.

As the first half came to a close, both teams headed into the tunnel without troubling the scorers.

The second half kicked off with new zest as both teams tried to get themselves in front. Real Kashmir had the first big chance of the half in the 54th minute, when Mason Robertson directed an almost inch-perfect header goalwards but, Shibinraj made a fantastic save to help his side in a critical moment.

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Sreenidi Deccan made three substitutions at one go, bringing in some much-needed fresh legs. MC Malsawmzuala replaced Girik Mahesh Khosla, Samad Ali Mallick came on in place of Lal Chungnunga and Rosenberg Gabriel took the place of Suraj Rawat.

Real Kashmir also utilised their substitutions soon enough, as Rohmingthanga Bawlte and Ragav Gupta were sent in at the 59th and 63rd minute respectively.

The substitution almost worked for Sreenidi as Malsawmzuala’s free-kick fizzled past the post into the side netting on the 66th minute.

The balance of the game tilted in Real Kashmir’s favour in the 72nd minute, when the Snow Leopards put a few beautiful passes together and the ball fell for Tiago Adan Fonseca, who smashed it in with his right foot to give them the lead.

Sreenidi immediately went on the offensive, looking for the equaliser, but it was not till the last minute of regulation time, that they were able to restore parity. Fredsan Marshal, who was brought in with just ten minutes of regulation time remaining, took it on his own and smashed an absolute blinder from long range to salvage a point for his side.

Konsham Phalguni Singh of Sreenidi Deccan FC  was awarded the Hero of the Match for his efforts.

Sreenidi Deccan will face RoundGlass Punjab in their next match, while Real Kashmir will take on NEROCA FC in their upcoming Hero I-League encounter; both the matches will be played at the Kalyani Stadium on March 15.

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