Real Kashmir FC returned to winning ways in the 2023-24 I-League as they comprehensively defeated NEROCA FC 4-0 at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium on Thursday, November 23, 2023.
For Real Kashmir, Mohammad Asrar Rehbar, Gnohere Krizo and Jeremy Laldinpuia were the scorers. The win helped Real Kashmir move to fifth place in the table. They have nine points from five games, including three wins and two losses. NEROCA FC are in the 10th spot with four points from six matches with one win, one draw and four losses.
The last time Real Kashmir had won a match was back on November 4 against TRAU FC. They went on to suffer defeats against Churchill Brothers and Namdhari FC in their next two games before they bounced back against NEROCA in style.
Real Kashmir didn’t let the defeats in their last two games unsettle them. Instead, they looked like a motivated unit right from the start. They began with a positive intent and their attacking approach paid rich dividends when they took the lead in the 11th minute. Syrian defender Shaher Shaheen played a long ball from deep towards Gnohere Krizo. The Ivory Coast forward laid it off for Mohammad Asrar Rehber with a nice header. Rehber, who made a fine run into the box, easily went past his marker and slotted the ball home. Real Kashmir extended their lead eight minutes later. This time, the roles were reversed as Rehber provided the assist to a fine Krizo goal.
Stung by the two reverses within 20 minutes, NEROCA tried to regroup and find answers to Real Kashmir’s aggressive brand of football. They tried to build their moves by playing a string of passes but could never really threaten the opposition. Real Kashmir, on the other hand, dominated the proceedings by winning the battles in the midfield.
Real Kashmir scored their third goal in the 64th minute and Krizo was again in the thick of the action. NEROCA were caught in possession as Real Kashmir players snatched the ball away from them. They moved the ball around quickly to swiftly build a move before Krizo released Jeremy Laldinpuia with a beautifully weighted pass. Laldinpuia didn’t make a mistake as he found the back of the net. Maksod piled on NEROCA’s misery in the dying minutes by scoring a fourth goal for Real Kashmir.
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Sreenidi Deccan defeats Rajasthan United FC
In the absence of David Castanaeda, Sreenidi Deccan did enough to beat Rajasthan United 2-1 in their I-League 2023-24 encounter on November 23, 2023. The win drew them to within three points of Mohammedan Sporting at the top of the table. Rajasthan meanwhile remain rooted second from bottom.
Despite the teams’ contrast in forms, and even their confidence on the pitch, it was Rajasthan United who struck first, Richardson Denzell slotting home in the opener as early as the 3rd minute of the game.
The goal itself came off the back of a Sreenidi corner and a rare defensive error from the usually reliable Gurmukh Singh. Sreenidi Deccan had dominated the early exchanges and after their corner was cleared to the byline near the centre, a fairly innocuous throw in was played to Gurmukh. The central midfielder’s first touch was dubious allowing Richard Gadze to apply pressure and topple him in the process. The loose ball fell perfectly for Richardson to slot into the far corner from inside the box.
The equaliser arrived right on the 45th minute mark, William Alves capitalising on some lacklustre defending from a corner to pounce on a loose ball in the six- yard box and slitting it home. Within minutes, Sreenidi had the lead. This time Gurmukh was inducing errors at the other end of the pitch, rising from a long- floated Abhishek Ambekar ball to disorient goalkeeper Sachin Jha, who while trying to catch the ball fumbled and ended up putting in his own net.
Sreenidi never let their levels drop through the second period, constantly threatening the Rajasthan goal while simultaneously keeping their attackers at an arm’s distance. The best chance fell to Alves in the 65th minute, his decision to lob the keeper ended up with the ball on top of the net rather than in. It didn’t matter as Sreenidi wrapped up the three points, and Rajasthan’s slump continued.