The excitement and anticipation finally reached its climax as Mohammedan SC sealed their promotion to the Indian Super League by clinching their maiden I-League title. The past week has been nothing short of exhilarating, with a series of goal-fests and decisive matches unfolding.
Delhi ran rampant over Rajasthan, Churchill, and Gokulam found their winning formula, TRAU broke their winless streak by securing a victory, and Sreenidhi stumbled into the draw trap, among other notable events.
Now, let’s delve into how the match week unfolded and examine each game in detail.
Rajasthan set ablaze by Delhi’s goal fire
The team led by Yan Law is on a three-game winning streak, the latest being a riot over the depleted Rajasthan side who are on a three-game losing streak at the moment. The intent shown by Delhi on the field was evidently convincing to seal the victory as they netted three goals in the first half itself, courtesy of Vinil Poojary in the 8th minute, Alisher Kholmurodov and Tondomba Singh in the 39th and 44th minute respectively.
Richardson Denzell pulled one back for the Desert Warriors in the 20th minute as a consolation.
The misery wasn’t over for Rajasthan as Amritpal Singh scored two own goals to his own net in the second half dragging the team to disaster. Denzell added his 16th goal of the season via a brace completed in the 73rd minute of the game.
Hudson Diaz added another to the scoring tally to make it 6 for Delhi and Ragav Gupta pulled one back for the home team in the third minute of stoppage time to conclude the match as a 6-3 win for Delhi.
The win firmed Delhi’s place in the 6th position just above Shillong Lajong, and they have a fierce competitor ahead in the last round in the name of title winners Mohammedans to cement their place. Rajasthan, on the flip side, has to knock their horns against the Churchill Brothers side who are on a good run of games recently which could be a challenge.
Churchill takes revenge against Aizawl
The team from Goa has avenged their devastating 4-0 defeat just two weeks ago away from home through a 2-0 convincing victory at their home in Tilak Maidan. Churchill struck early into the game through Nigerian forward Louis Ogana in the 7th minute of the game marking their intent and assertiveness to bag the victory by any means necessary.
Aizawl, had nothing at their disposal to offer as they had some main players missing out through injuries. Their misery was piled on by their inconsistent form and a distinct lack of goal-scoring players, which has been impacting their performances throughout the league campaign. Things went from bad to worse as Aizawl substitute Lalmuanawma put one goal into his own net to seal the deal in favor of the team from Goa.
The win pulled Francesc Bonet’s side closer to the 7th place in the table, just a point off Shillong Lajong. Churchill are set to face Rajasthan United in their last round of fixtures and they will be hoping to end the campaign on a good note. Aizawl, on the other side, has two games to play in the name of TRAU FC and Neroca FC, two teams who are in the relegation zone.
TRAU upsets Real Kashmir with a late goal
The concept of unpredictability in football was the evident notable factor in the end-to-end action-packed thriller that unfolded at the Kalyani Municipality Stadium in West Bengal. The Red Pythons, who were mathematically relegated, had nothing to lose, sparking the flare to fight with their socks off against the team from Kashmir.
The clash showcased the individual prowess of both teams, with impactful injuries and stunning goalkeeper saves etching the game as one of the best in the league. Gnohere Krizo was forced off due to injury for Real Kashmir in the first half, dealing a hard blow to the side, while a denied penalty in the 82nd minute marked a milestone moment in the game.
TRAU, with their counter-attacking ideology against the possession-focused football style implemented by Real Kashmir, broke the deadlock in the second half through Danish Aribam in the 56th minute. The Snow Leopards replied swiftly just three minutes later through Carlos Lomba, leveling the score.
The entertainment wasn’t over as TRAU struck late in the last minute of stoppage time through Robinson Singh, who headed in a goalkeeper-spilled ball into the back of the net, sealing the deal for the home side.
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The loss saw Real Kashmir missing out on their chance to finish as runners-up, with one more game against Namdhari left to play. TRAU has two more encounters left, as they are set to face Aizawl and Gokulam in their last two rounds of matches.
Rise high up in the sky Mohammedan
It wasn’t an easy task for the title contenders, as Shillong was in no mood to let go and spoil the party. Credit goes to Padam Chettri and Joseph Adjei, who pulled off a stellar shift encompassed by collective effort, ultimately bagging the win and the title. The game was solid and persisted with bursts of energy from both sides, starting with a banger in the 1st minute itself, where Alexis Nahuel Gomez pulled off a long-range stunner to open the deadlock.
Shillong didn’t go in vain as they were determined to thwart the enjoyment, which they indeed successfully did, earning them a spot-kick in the 15th minute. Brazilian striker Douglas Tardin converted the penalty to level the score, and the first half ended with the same scoreline.
It was evident that the clash had more to offer from both sides as the play unfolded in the second half with more pace and unpredictability. But the day was in favor of the Black and White brigade as Evgenii Kozlov netted a left-footed cracker of a strike into the top corner in the 63rd minute, giving them a one-goal cushion. The game was still not over as Shillong fought hard with intent, but eventually, the collective effort kept going to give Mohammedan the much-aspired win and promotion.
It is now up to Mohammedan to fulfill the licensing criteria necessary to boot up in the ISL, which they have proudly earned. Mohammedan has one more game left to play against Delhi FC, and Shillong, currently standing in 7th position, can upgrade their place to 6th if Delhi loses their last game.
Gokulam goes past Neroca
Gokulam Kerala has finally ended their two-game winless run by grasping onto three points against the already relegated side Neroca FC. Things weren’t easy for the Malabarians as they had to fend off a side who had nothing to lose, which indeed marked a nail-biting clash even though the scoreline doesn’t reflect it.
Numerous chances were flying by for both sides as Gokulam dominated possession and gameplay while Neroca was careful. The team from Kerala went ahead in the stroke of half-time through Tajikistan forward Komron Tursunov.
The second half had more to offer as Neroca came charging in but failed to capitalize on the opportunities. On the flip side, the talisman, Alexis Sanchez, scored a brace in injury time of the second half to stamp their authority as the former champions. Alexis Sanchez, who scored his 18th goal of the season, is leading the Golden Boot race ahead of Richardon Denzell, who netted 16 goals.
Gokulam now faces another challenge from the relegated side TRAU, where TRAU has one final chance to redeem themselves from the last position. Neroca has a clash against Aizawl ahead of them in the coming week, hopefully ending the campaign on a good run.
Inter Kashi holds off Sreenidhi
Ten-men Inter Kashi displayed enough skill to overcome the Sreenidhi challenge, pulling off another upset against the Carlos Santamarina-led side. Inter Kashi has maintained their 11-game unbeaten run through this draw, culminating the season on a high note, especially as a maiden campaigner in the league.
David Castaneda drew first blood in the 41st minute of the game, giving the Deccan Warriors an edge before half-time. Castaneda, who is currently plying his trade for the third season in a row for the team from Andhra Pradesh, has slotted in 10 goals in each campaign, etching his name in the club’s history books.
Everything turned upside down as Inter Kashi was reduced to 10 men when Sandip Mandi picked up his second yellow card of the game. However, this setback did not hinder their resolve to secure at least a point from the game, which they successfully achieved by earning a penalty in the 87th minute, slotted in by Julen Perez. Endless chances came flying in for both sides, but the failure to capitalize will always haunt back, reflecting the essence of the entirety of the game.
The draw places Sreenidhi safely in the second position in the table with 45 points, with one more clash against Shillong awaiting them. Meanwhile, Inter Kashi has ended their season with 41 points in the bag, still uncertain of their final position in the table. They are currently placed in the third position, above Real Kashmir and Gokulam Kerala FC.
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