Q Squad v FC Dwarka
Score: Q Squad (3) – (0) FC Dwarka
Scorers
Q Squad (Prithviraj Kumar 1’; Samuel Dickson 19’; Aryan Suri 20’)
Q Squad emerged victorious against FC Dwarka in the clash between the top two resulting in Q Squad overtaking their rivals to claim pole position for the first time this season. Dwarka have been at the top of the table since opening week and hadn’t dropped any points before this game.
They were the last team to hold a perfect record and now all teams have dropped points going into the second half of the season. Although the scoreline was extremely in favour of Q Squad, they thoroughly deserved the three points after a fine performance.
Q Squad opened the scoring very early in the game when Prithviraj Kumar slotted home the opener in the first minute thanks to a mistake from the Dwarka keeper. Dwarka had more possession in the match but Q Squads’ strategy of high pressing and counter attacking was too much to handle for the league leaders.
Samuel Dickson doubled his side’s lead in the 19th minute before Aryan Suri made it 3-0 a minute later. Dwarka would be ruing the chances they missed but they need to move on and get back to winning ways if they are to stay close to the current leaders.
Dwarka had a chance to get back into the game when they were awarded a penalty in the second half but Nikil Gahlot’s resulting spot kick was saved Q Squad’s goalkeeper Divyansh Narang.
Narang has been in top form recently and earned the Man of the Match plaudits for helping his side keep a clean sheet. Rtiwick Dutta, Ritvik Vargheses and Prithviraj Kumar essentially controlled Q Squad’s strategy in midfield and were largely responsible for ensuring their side’s win along with Aryan Dhingra who was solid in defence.
Man of the Match: Divyansh Narang (Q Squad)
FC Kickers v Storm Youth
Score: FC Kickers (2) – (2) Storm Youth
Scorers
FC Kickers (Cologne K 40’,41’)
Storm Youth (Manav Joon 10’; Vikram Kaira 33’)
A 4-goal encounter between Kickers and Storm Youth ended in a draw in the second game of the day. Storm Youth started the game the better side and were duly rewarded when Manav Joon opened the scoring in the 10th minute. Kickers who like to control the possession took time to get into the game but the Storm youth defence was set up well and repelled their attacks in the final third.
The game went into halftime with Storm leading by a goal. Three minutes into the second half and Vikram Kaira doubled Storm’s lead with a screamer from 40 yards out. The second goal would have deflated any other side but Kickers are known for never giving up and they did exactly that.
Cologne K pulled one back in the 40th minute before quickly adding his and his side’s second a minute later to make the scores level. Kenzo who earned the Man of the Match plaudits assisted both goals and is starting to build a reputation as a slick playmaker.
For Storm Youth, Aditya Chopra and Vikram Kaira were the best players and the attackers have a bright future ahead of them. Kickers need to get back to winning ways after dropping points now in their last two outings. Although a draw was a fair result both teams would be kicking themselves for not pushing harder in the final quarter to get all three points.
Man of the Match: Kenzo K (FC Kickers)
Delhi Student FC v Highflyers FC
Score: Delhi Student FC (3) – (1) Highflyers FC
Scorers
Delhi Student FC (Abhishek Kumar 15’, Anuj Kakojia 32’, Suresh Kumar 41’)
Highflyers FC (Madhur Manchanda 37’)
Delhi Student FC emerged victorious against Highflyers FC to move out of the red zone. Abhishek Kumar opened the scoring in the 15th minute to hand his side a well deserved lead considering they were on full throttle from the get go.
DSFC like to build up play from the back, one of the few teams in the league to do so, but what worked really well for them was the quick pace of the game and the cross switching across the pitch.
Highflyers were missing some key players in Nikhil Joe and Vijay Nair but they need to start stepping us a team if they are to pick up more wins. The second half saw changes from Highflyers but DSFC were the ones to strike via Anuj Kakojia two minutes after the restart.
Going down two goals resulted in Highflyers changing their strategy to a more attacking game and Madhur Manchanda was able to pull back one in the 37th minute. Madhur has been one of the few consistent performers for Highflyers whose attacking options are very limited.
The game was put to bed when Suresh Kumar scored a screamer in the 41st minute to extend his side’s lead back to two goals. Back to back wins for DSFC see them gain some momentum after a disappointing opening few games. Although Highflyers have a very compact defence, they need to re-strategise their attacking play to benefit the team overall.
Man of the Match: Suresh Kumar (Delhi Student FC)
Panthers FC v Sen Q
Score: Panthers FC (5) – (1) Sen Q
Scorers
Panthers FC (Dhruv P 40’, 47’; Anupan Vishwakarma 50’; Vivek Bhandari 54’; Dipesh Kumar 57’)
Sen Q (Shaurya Sharma 49’)
Panthers FC made it back-to-back wins for the first time this season after defeating Sen Q in a convincing manner. Panthers showed up with their full strength squad this time and they were duly rewarded with a win which sees them move up the table after a tepid start to the season.
Sen Q started the game in a defensive manner and it worked well for them as they held off the Panthers’ attack for the first half, which saw no goals being scored. Nikhil Bhushan was once again at the helm of things and made a couple of tremendous saves to keep Sen Q in the game.
Panthers made some important changes in the second half including bringing on Dhruv who made an instant impact. The forward opened the scoring in the 40th minute before adding a second in the 47th minute. His coordination and understanding with Anupam Vishwakarma was pleasing to the eye and this partnership will be important as the season heads into the second half.
Sen Q pulled one goal back via Shaurya Sharma in the 49th minute but the respite was temporary with Anupam extending Panthers’ lead to two goals almost immediately. Vivek Bhandari and Dipesh Kumar added late goals for Panthers to kill the game off completely and ensure their side picked up all three points. Sen Q have now lost back to back games and need to tinker with the strategy if they are to get back to winning ways.
Man of the Match: Anupam Vishwakarma (Panthers FC)
Phoenix FC v Ultimate FC
Score: Phoenix FC (4) – (1) Ultimate FC
Scorers
Phoenix FC (Pratyush (OG) 29’; Himanshu Bhatt 47’; Fulgence Kouame 55’,60’)
Ultimate FC (Shravan Chaudhary 46’)
Another stellar performances from Fulgence Kouame ensured Phoenix FC picked up all three points against a constantly improving Ultimate FC. The return of goalkeeper Harsha Hazarika injected some confidence into the team, which showed in their play. They were unlucky to concede just before half time with an own goal from Pratyush giving Phoenix the lead.
Shravan Chaudhary levelled the scores in the 46th minute and gave Ultimate a chance to go on and win the game but almost immediately Phoenix had a reply. A solo run from Fulgence Kouame opened up the Ultimate defence and his pass to Himanshu Bhatt saw Phoenix take the lead again.
With Ultimate trailing and less than a quarter to go, they had no choice but to take the game to Phoenix, which eventually resulted in them conceding two more goals. Fulgence Kouame scored both the goals and now leads the goal scorer charts by a comfortable margin.
Even though they lost the game, Ultimate FC had a good game in general and their constant improvement means their first win is around the corner. They have a veteran coach on the side-lines while some excellent players from Sudeva means the only way to go is upwards.
Phoenix retain their hold on third place with this win but with Storm and Wishwaking breathing down their neck, they can't put a foot wrong. With Q Squad having defeated FC Dwarka earlier in the day Phoenix do have an outside shot at the title but for now, they need to keep their heads down and keep picking up points.
Man of the Match: Fulgence Kouame (Phoenix FC)
Storm FC v Wishwakings
Score: Storm FC (1) – (0) Wishwakings
Scorers
Storm FC (G King 42’)
The final game of the day saw Storm FC edge out Wishwakings to gain all three points in their pursuit of a top three finish. Since they have a game in hand, Storm also have an outside shot at the title but for now they need to take things game by game and hope the teams above them falter.
The game was played at a high tempo with Wishwakings attempting to open the scoring early in the game but Storm’s strategy worked to perfection. They sat back and hit on the counter and although the first half didn’t see any goals, the tide was slowly shifting in favour of Storm as the match wore on.
Storm were duly rewarded for their patience and G King got on the score sheet in the 42nd minute in what turned out to be the only goal of the game. Credit must be given to the Storm defenders, especially Boaz and Gabriel who were pillars in the back for their side and ensured they kept a clean sheet to go with the win. Tushar Walia and Paras Wadhwa also put in good performances for Storm FC.
After Storm scored their goal, Wishwakings went in search of the equaliser and were close to levelling things but Ebuka was just short of the mark with the striker even hitting the cross bar once in the second half.
Sanjay Basliyal also had a good game for Wishwakings but for all the possession they had they should have got a goal. Both managers were very vocal throughout the game and egged their teams on but Jatin Chopra’s strategy to sit back and hit on the counter worked out better in the end.
Man of the Match: G King (Storm FC)
