Gameweek 2 had some intense matches with title contenders Horizons and Supernova going up against each other while Yataghan faced Rare Dare in what is becoming a budding rivalry.
Yataghan Internazionale v Rare Dare FC
Score: Yataghan Internazionale (2) – (1) Rare Dare FC
Scorers
Yataghan Internazionale (Jay Singadia 1’; Tapi Richo 55’)
Rare Dare FC (Balaji R 30’)
Yataghan put in a balanced performance against Rare Dare FC to grab all three points and pick up their first win of the season. Jay Singadia opened the scoring in the first minute to put RDFC on the back foot from the get-go. RDFC seemingly got back into the game when Balaji equalised for them but Yataghan outplayed them purely on the tactical board that was perfectly set up to counter RDFC’s game.
The game was marred by red card incidents, which saw Yataghan manager Channa Jayaweera sent off as well as RDFC captain Steven Harold.
The latter incident came right after Yataghan scored their second goal leaving RDFC with an even higher mountain to climb. Yataghan’s defence was extremely hard to break through with Mutsa, Kartik and Sudha manning the back with Andreas covering them in a CDM role.
Yataghan will take inspiration from this win as they look to solidify their strategy for the big pitch while RDFC are still without a win and their outside chance at the title looks extremely bleak right now.
Man of the Match: Mutsa Muswere (Yataghan Internazionale)
FC Bengal v FC Kougen Kikou
Score: FC Bengal (4) – (2) FC Kougen Kikou
Scorers
FC Bengal (Saheed Adeoye 33’,43; Anto Rushith 41’, Adama B 60’)
FC Kougen Kikou (Hiroki Akiyama 17’; Takahisa Kiyone 19’)
Bengal showed resilience in their comeback victory against Kougen Kikou to pick up back to back wins to open their Division 1 campaign. The match was a tale of two halves with Kougen Kikou going into halftime with a two-goal lead but Bengal struck back in the second half scoring four goals to complete the turnaround.
FCKK were out to set things right after last game’s result where they lost 6-0 to Horizons and they were seemingly on their way to accomplish just that when returning midfielder Hiroki Akiyama put them through before Takahisa Kiyone doubled their lead.
The understanding on the pitch seemed like the old FCKK but Bengal made a few more important substitutions at halftime and the introduction of Anto Rushith set things in motion for them. Suddenly, Saheed Adeoye sprung to life and scored a brace while Anto and Adama picked up goals too.
Bengal have now won both their games and their off-season signings seem to be a hit while FCKK need to quickly find the depth in their squad so they can bring a competitive squad week in week out or they will be in trouble.
Man of the Match: Saheed Adeoye (FC Bengal)
Mavericks FC v Parikrma FC
Score: Mavericks FC (0) – (9) Parikrma FC
Scorers
Parikrma FC (Sunil M 9’,30’; Nehminlen P 11’; Prashanth P 14’,37’;Chiranjeevi M 50’; Fayaz A 51’,58’; Siraj Y 60’)
Parikrma were back to their old rampant ways brushing aside Mavericks in a 9-0 rout. Sunil Manjunath was deadly on the flank in the early part of the game and deservedly scored the opener in the 9th minute before forward Nehminlen doubled their lead. Parikrma managed to score two more to take a 4-0 lead into halftime.
It was a complete collapse in the Mavericks defence in the second half which saw them concede 5 more goals as Parikrma seemed to be scoring at will. Mavericks seemed a shell of the side that were so impressive in their 2-2 draw in GW 1 against Rare Dare FC.
Other than Edwin KS in the middle of the pitch, the rest of the Mavericks players seemed unable to keep possession and when Obul Reddy did get the ball up front he had no support around him.
Parikrma now leapfrog Horizons to pole position in the table albeit only on goal difference. Mavericks will need to sit down in the thinking room and figure out how to avoid another defeat as big as this as goal difference might be extremely crucial come end of the season.
Man of the Match: Prashanth P (Parikrma FC)
Flipkart FC v Samba FC
Score: Flipkart FC (1) – (1) Samba FC
Scorers
Flipkart FC (Pavan Powar 15’)
Samba FC (Sufiyan Ahmed 21’)
Flipkart FC and Samba FC shared the spoils in what eventually turned out be an evenly matched contest. Flipkart were favourites pre-game but Samba have shown this season that they are here to stay in the top division after their extremely close call last season.
Pavan opened the scoring in the 11th minute to pick up his second for the season and although Flipkart controlled the game well for the first quarter, going down a goal woke up Samba and they responded well.
Sufiyan Ahmed who has been in top form grabbing a hat-trick last weekend against Gremio was once again the focal point of attack and delivered the equaliser in the 21st minute. The game went into halftime with both teams level and the deadlock couldn’t be broken in the second half too with Samba’s gritty defence triumphing over Flipkart’s attacking prowess. Stand in captain Zaheer PA was up to the task between the goal posts and the keeper showed why he is one of the best in the league.
Samba sit neatly in fourth position after two game weeks and although it's still early Samba look like a revitalised squad out to play rather than just defend. Flipkart, on the other hand, have 1 point to their name and will have to readjust their strategy a bit if they are to score more goals.
Man of the Match: Zaheer PA (Samba FC)
Gremio FC v Project 7
Score: Gremio FC (2) – (2) Project 7
Scorers
Gremio FC (Julius Ceasar 12’; Naman A 25’)
Project 7 (Rahul Singh 3’; 26’)
An entertaining 4-goal game was evenly shared between Gremio FC and Project 7 with either team yet to pick up a win. Project 7 were handed an early penalty that saw Rahul Singh convert with ease but Gremio pegged them back when debutant Julius found himself unguarded in the box and coolly slotted home the opener.
Naman stuck for Gremio 5 minutes from halftime but Project 7 responded immediately with the equaliser courtesy of Rahul ‘Riki’ Singh who tirelessly ran around the whole game covering a tremendous amount of the pitch.
His teammate Puneeth Gowda was also up to the task in midfield and managed to keep possession even though he was outnumbered on numerous occasions. The second half ended goalless with Gremio failing to take advantage of the possession they had, mainly owing to the fact that they were flagged offside on every attack they found themselves in.
Both teams looked much better than the performances they put up in GW 1 where both suffered heavy defeats. Gremio look clueless in attack but with the impending return of the Satish, Danush and Monish on the cards they should find the back of the net more often. Project 7, on the other hand, need to add depth to their squad if they are to survive the rigours of the top division.
Man of the Match: Rahul Singh (Project 7)
Horizons FC v Supernova FC
Score: Horizons FC (3) – (2) Supernova FC
Scorers
Horizons FC (Philip Babalola 3’; Mamang Dimngel 13’; Cheslton Pinto 24’)
Supernova FC (James S 21’, 33’)
The game of the day featuring two heavyweights saw Horizons run out winners against Supernova in a high-energy match that ended 3-2 in favour of Horizons FC. Horizons got off to a quick start when Philip put them ahead against his old team and Mamang doubled the lead in the 13th minute. Tt seemed like this was going to be a one-sided affair but Supernova found a lifeline when James S halved that lead.
Horizons again doubled the lead thanks to midfield motor Chelston Pinto who scored in the 24th minute and Horizons seemed comfortable going in the dressing room at halftime.
However, Supernova changed tactics and moved to a back three and this worked wonders with James immediately picking up his second for the night and it was game on. Supernova were the better side in the second half but Horizons had enough strength in their defence to keep them at bay. Tejas Muralidhar was in top form and even though his side conceded three goals he still picked up the man of the match award for his heroics between the posts.
Horizons have now won a crucial encounter against a title rival and these 3 points will surely come in handy come end of the season. Supernova have a lot of positives to take from this game but with the games coming thick and fast they need to make sure they don’t lose more points.
Man of the Match: Tejas Muralidhar (Supernova FC)
