135th Durand Cup: NEROCA down nine-man FC Raengdai to end group stage with win

Imphal, Aug 12 (IANS) NEROCA FC came from behind to beat nine-man FC Raengdai 3-1 and end their group-stage campaign on a winning note in the 135th Durand Cup at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium in Imphal on Wednesday.

FC Raengdai took the lead in the 19th minute through Jonah Kamei, but NEROCA restored parity eight minutes later after Thoudam Nani Singh turned the ball into his own net. Raengdai were reduced to nine men in the second half after P.M. Rakeveiche and Soraisham Surjakanta Singh were shown red cards within four minutes of each other, forcing the side from Noney to play the final 30 minutes with nine players.

NEROCA took the lead in the 89th minute when substitute Chabungbam Linky Meitei headed home to put his side ahead. Yumnam Renedy Meitei then added a third in stoppage time to complete the comeback. The victory saw NEROCA finish their Group D campaign with four points from three matches, while FC Raengdai, who had already secured their place in the quarter-finals, finished with six points from their three matches.

NEROCA FC head coach Yumnam Raju Mangang made five changes to his starting XI for their final match of the tournament. Naorem Kiranjit Singh replaced Abujam Penand Singh in goal, while Soibam Abhinash Singh and Lambalmayum Hemba Meetei came into the defence in place of Ben Nash Quansh and Saphaba Singh Telem. Sinam Maichael Singh replaced Charles Teiko Folley in midfield, while Sridarth Nongmeikapam came into the attack in place of Ngathem Imarson Meitei.

Meanwhile, FC Raengdai head coach Kshetrimayum Birbal Singh made three changes to his side, which had already secured their place in the quarter-finals. Yaithengbam Suraj Singh came in between the posts in place of captain Kamei Pantiga, with Jonah Kamei replacing Wahengbam Rojen Meetei in defence and taking over the captain’s armband. Thoudam Nani Singh was also handed a start in midfield in place of Gaisuangmei Kamei.

NEROCA FC registered the first attempt on goal inside the opening three minutes after Sibajit Singh found space inside the box to control a pass from Michael Singh. However, the forward failed to make clean contact with his effort, which drifted wide of the post without troubling the goalkeeper. Moments later, FC Raengdai thought they had taken the lead when Amarjit Singh produced an acrobatic finish after connecting with a pass from Amitkumar Singh, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

FC Raengdai took the lead after gradually establishing control of the contest. Jonah Kamei peeled away from his marker to meet a corner and powered a header towards the bottom corner. The effort beat both the goalkeeper and the defender stationed on the goal line to give Raengdai the advantage.

NEROCA had a couple of opportunities to restore parity from their own set-pieces, with Zidan Singh failing to keep his headers on target on both occasions. They eventually found the equaliser by capitalising on a defensive error from FC Raengdai. Modou Mbengue won possession from Keiphaba Meitei on the edge of the box before squaring the ball towards a teammate. In an attempt to clear the danger before it reached the NEROCA attackers, Raengdai midfielder Nani Singh turned the ball into his own net to make it 1-1.

NEROCA FC gained the upper hand in midfield towards the end of the first half and began finding more space to build attacks. David Singh came close to putting his side ahead when he found himself unmarked inside the box, but he could not keep his header on target after meeting an inviting cross from the right flank.

FC Raengdai, meanwhile, looked to threaten on the counter and through set-pieces after conceding the equaliser, but were unable to register an attempt on target as both sides went into the break level at 1-1.

FC Raengdai made a triple substitution at half-time, bringing on Soraisham Surjakanta Singh, Chuingampou Kamei and Tingkaochun Gangmei in place of Thoudam Nani Singh, Amarjit Singh and Ningthoujam Abungton Singh to strengthen the midfield, where Raengdai had begun to lose control towards the final quarter of the first half.

FC Raengdai were reduced to 10 men in the 55th minute after attacker P.M. Rakeveiche was shown a straight red card for a high-boot challenge on centre-back Soibam Abhinash Singh near the touchline. The referee had initially produced a yellow card for the challenge but, after consulting with the assistant referee, upgraded the decision to a red card.

Three minutes later, FC Raengdai were reduced to nine men after second-half substitute Soraisham Surjakanta Singh received his second yellow card and was sent off. The midfielder had been booked just seven minutes after coming on for a similar challenge, before being shown a second yellow moments later to leave Raengdai with nine players.

NEROCA, now enjoying a numerical advantage, began moving the ball more quickly in the opposition half. FC Raengdai responded by dropping deeper, with all eight outfield players working behind the ball to keep the spaces compact and deny NEROCA any clear-cut opportunities. Raengdai also introduced centre-back Rojen Meetei in place of striker Midul Doley to further strengthen their defensive line.

NEROCA continued to pile on the pressure, sending wave after wave of attacks towards the Raengdai defence, but struggled to breach the opposition’s resolute backline. Substitute Chabungbam Linky Meitei came closest to breaking the deadlock when he found space inside the box, but his effort from around 10 yards was straight at the goalkeeper.

NEROCA finally made their numerical advantage count in the 89th minute after sustained pressure on the Raengdai defence. Substitute Imarson Meitei delivered a perfectly weighted cross into the box for fellow substitute Linky Meitei, who guided a well-placed header into the net to give NEROCA the lead.

The match was put to bed in stoppage time after another substitute, Yumnam Renedy Meitei, beat the goalkeeper with a composed finish to ensure that NEROCA end their Durand Cup campaign with a win, while FC Raengdai will return for the quarterfinals.

As part of the 135th edition of the IndianOil Durand Cup, the Durand Cup Tournament Society is recognising one outstanding Emerging Player from each group, and to encourage these promising players and inspire them to reach even greater heights, each Emerging Player will be honoured with a cash award of ₹1 lakh, presented by the Society.

Midul Doley of FC Raengdai was presented with the Emerging Player Award from Group D, and the cheque was presented by Lt. Gen. Girish Kalia AVSM, VSM, General Officer Commanding, 3 CORPS.

Thursday’s matches:

Jamshedpur FC vs Indian Air Force FT (Group C) – 4:00 PM, Birsa Munda Stadium, Ranchi

Bodoland FC vs Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC (Group F) – 4:00 PM, Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati

Shillong Lajong FC vs Langsning FC (Group E) – 7:00 PM, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong

–IANS

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