David Castaneda shines as Sreenidi Deccan defeat Kenkre FC in I-League

This was Sreenidi Deccan's fifth win of the season.

Sreenidi Deccan FC on Friday came from behind to record a 2-1 win over bottom-placed Kenkre FC in the I-League 2021-22. With this win, they have moved to the second spot on the table which could change depending on the outcome of Gokulam Kerala’s game against Aizawl FC. Lal Chungnunga and David Castaneda Munoz were on the target for Sreenidi Deccan while Ranjeet Singh Pandre netted the consolation goal for Kenkre FC.

Sreenidi Deccan kicked off the game with intent and were aggressive from the start. It also paid off as they created their first chance in the third minute. Kenkre FC, meanwhile, had a shaky start and their opponents were quick to capitalize. Sreenidi Deccan were pressing very high as they looked for their opening goal.

Mohamed Salah looked to create yet another opportunity for his side in the seventh minute with a perfect cross from the left but David Castañeda was caught offside.

To match up with their rivals, Kenrke FC also upped their aggression, which resulted in Jishnu Balakrishnan getting penalized for a high boot challenge. Kenrke’s defence did well during the early stage of the game as they held their nerve to deny their opponent any opportunity, despite the continuous pressure. They also did well to block Mabiaa’s shot after he picked the ball from Phalguni Singh in the 15th minute.

And, soon, their attackers picked pace, especially, Ranjeet Singh. He ripped apart Sreenidi Deccan with his pace and put his side up by breaking the deadlock in the 19th minute. Vijay Nagappan provided the beautiful assist as Kenkre’s counter-attacking created a hole in their foes’ defence line.

However, the lead did not last long as three minutes later Lal Chungnunga scored from a free-kick to level the contest 1-1.

A couple of minutes after conceding his first goal, Tenzin Samdup saved a terrific attempt from David Castaneda to deny Sreenidi Deccan a lead.

Kenkre FC picked up the pace as they looked for their second goal of the match and they came close to the same in the 34th minute. Vijay Nagappan’s shot was saved by Shibinraj Kunniyil, who palmed it away for a corner.

Both teams increased their efforts towards the end of the first half but it did not materialize as the game was locked 1-1 at the break.

Kenkre FC players started the second half at the front foot. They created their first chance in the 51st minute but it was blocked by rival skipper Dinesh Singh. Two minutes later, Ranjeet Singh had the opportunity to score his second goal but his shot went over the bar.

David Castaneda gave his side the lead at the hour mark after a sloppy defending from Nam, who gave away the ball cheaply. The striker grabbed the opportunity with both hands with a sublime finish as he netted the ball in the left corner.

Kenrke FC made double substitutions in the 66th minute as Rosenberg Gabriel and Lalromawia went out to make way for Vineeth Kumar Velmurugan and Suraj Rawat. Seconds later, Aravindraj Rajan replaced an injured Vijay Nagappan on the field.

Kenkre FC became even more aggressive in the final 10 minutes of the regulation time as they looked for an equalizer. In the 84th minute, Ranjeet Singh made yet another unsuccessful attempt. They were given four more minutes of extra time to level the score but failed and in the process conceded their sixth match of the season.

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