Talking Points: Why the midfield will be integral to NEROCA's revival this season

The Orange Brigade registered their first win of the season against Real Kashmir.

It was a heartbreak for Real Kashmir fans as the Snow Leopards slumped to their first defeat of the season against NEROCA at home. Felix Odili Chidi scored in both halves to hand the visitors a huge win on a cloudy day in Srinagar.

With that result, the Snow Leopards now have a win,  a draw and a loss in their first three games of the I-League season. On the other hand, the Orange Army won their first game of the season and are now sitting in the fourth place.

Here are the talking points from the game that took place at the TRC Turf Ground on Sunday.

5. Shooting boots missing for Danish Farooq

Deemed as the Kashmiri Ronaldo, Danish Farooq was far from his best against NEROCA. The forward missed one too many opportunities to score and was also sloppy while crossing the ball inside the box. His only real chance early came in the first half when he drove a powerful shot from a rebound inside the box. Unfortunately for him, the shot was picked out brilliantly by goalkeeper Mauro Boerchio.

On another occasion in the second half, Danish tried to lob the ball over the keeper in a one-on-one situation but this time he missed the target. The Kashmiri star needs to prove his worth by showing much-improved performances.

4. Vicky Meitei shines bright for Real Kashmir

Vicky was introduced as a half time substitute and the youngster immediately made an impact on the game. The 21-year-old made some brilliant runs on the left flank just after coming on and paired up well with Farhan Ganie.

Vicky has previously also played for Guwahati, Fateh Hyderabad and Gokulam Kerala and hence comes with a good experience which is great considering his age. The Manipuri lad is a promising talent and coach David Robertson is fortunate to have him in the squad.

3. Loveday Enyinnaya needs improvement

Loveday was supposed to be Kashmir’s one of the key players against NEROCA. However, the Nigerian made a poor display as his mistakes cost Kashmir with two goals. During the first goal, he misjudged the ball while making a clearance off a dangerous cross inside the box which eventually landed straight in front of Odili who took advantage of the situation to score.

In the second half again, Loveday put an unnecessary heavy pass which was followed by a build-up in the final third by NEROCA and once again Odili scored brilliantly to win the game for his side. The former Rangdajied United, Royal Wahingdoh and Minerva Punjab defender need to improve his game for the upcoming games.

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2. Felix Odili Chidi will be instrumental for NEROCA's campaign

Odili put on a superb show against the Snow Leopards as he took his chances well to score a wonderful brace. The 27-year-old made the opposition defenders suffer from their huge errors inside the box as he helped his side win their first game of the season.

The former Vasco and Dempo striker is looking in a good shape this season and NEROCA coach Manuel Fraile will hope to see him build his goalscoring form for the upcoming games.

1. Midfielders key to NEROCA success

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Apart from Odili’s brilliance, the midfielders were the heroes for NEROCA against Real Kashmir. The visitors came under a lot of pressure in the opening minutes of the game but as the game proceeded, they became more stable and were lucky to keep Krizo from scoring. Their game finally stepped up when Odili scored his first goal. In the heart of the midfield,  Naorem Tondomba Singh and Aryn Williams did their best to keep the opposition from creating chances in their half.

The Snow Leopards slowed down after conceding the first goal and the duo took a great advantage of the situation and dominated the centre of the park. They carried out a good distribution of the ball and equally contributed to the defence, keeping the pressure intact on the opposition in the process.