Rare Dare FC v FC Kougen Kikou
Score: Rare Dare FC (2) – (2) FC Kougen Kikou
Scorers
Rare Dare FC (Arjun Anson 8’, Adarsh AX 29’)
FC Kougen Kikou (Hiroki Akiyama 21’, Naresh Tinku (OG) 23’)
Rare Dare and Kougen Kikou played out a draw in the opening match of GW 6. Rare Dare are yet without a win and even though their performances have been good, the results just haven’t fallen their way. They looked to set those things right when Arjun Anson opened the scoring for them in the minute but their defence has been leaky throughout and they paid they price again when Hiroki Akiyama equalized in the to bring back the teams to level pegging. All four goals were scored in the first half.
Anoos Paryangat who put in a man of the match performance last week was once again at the helm of things before he got injured and was replaced. The second goal for FCKK was lucky more than anything else as a pass by Yuichi Hirai took a massive deflection from Naresh Tinku to end up in the back of the net.
Just when things were looking up for Kougen Kikou, RDFC managed to find the back of the net against the run of play when Adarsh AX scored in the 29th minute. As the second half played out, a draw looked the most probable result although both teams came close to scoring in the dying embers of the game; an attempt from way outside the box from Nishino brushed past the post while Steven Harold’s shot hit the post before running out.
Rare Dare find themselves in the drop zone and times are getting desperate as they are still without a win. Kougen Kikou have come into form after a slow start and don’t look as likely to drop down now but with 5 games still to go they have a lot more points to pick up before they can guarantee themselves a place in the top division.
Man of the Match: Hiroki Akiyama (FC Kougen Kikou)
Yataghan Internazionale v Mavericks FC
Score: Yataghan Internazionale (0) – (1) Mavericks FC
Scorers
Mavericks FC (Winston Varghese 35’)
Mavericks picked up a morale-boosting win when they defeated Yataghan Internazionale by a solitary goal. Yataghan are in danger of being pulled into red zone after this loss and have picked up only 1 win in 6 games. Although they were the better side they didn’t convert any of the chances they had.
The first half was goalless between the sides and the Mavericks defence outplayed the Yataghan attack to hold them at bay. Yunus Nawab and Aman Choudhary were instrumental in ensuring that Mavericks didn’t concede in the first half.
A miscommunication in the Yataghan backline saw Bilal Khan tackle Kartik Singh in a dangerous position to win back possession and lay off the ball to Winston Varghese who made no mistake in slotting home the eventual winner. Yataghan went into a shell after that and almost conceded a second soon after but a smart save from Aftab Haroon kept the score line at 1-0.
Mavericks defended their hearts out after and repelled Yataghan’s attacks. Yataghan were presented with one final chance when Sudha’s header was blocked only to be rebounded back to him, but he couldn’t keep the ball down and his shot flew way over the bar to hand Mavericks their first win of the season.
Mavericks now move up to 10th spot after the win but still occupy one of the three relegation spots while Yataghan aren’t in too much of a better position occupying the 9th spot in the table. Both teams have been in Division 1 since the inception of TAL but it looks likely that one of them will drop down to Division 2.
But as they, nothing is certain till the final whistle is blown and there are 5 more games for these two teams to turn their season around.
Man of the Match: Winston Varghese (Mavericks FC)
Horizons FC v FC Bengal
Score: Horizons FC (1) – (3)
Scorers
Horizons FC (Magesh G 60’)
FC Bengal (Adam B 10’, Saheed Adeoye 48’, Manivannan C 50’)
Bengal picked up a big win when they beat Horizons to shake things up at the top of the table. Horizons were unbeaten previously (throughout the cup too) and looked set for a simple march to the title after they bear Parikrma last week but Bengal had their say and boy did they put in a performance.
Forwards Saheed Adeoye and Adam B clicked perfectly for Bengal and combined for the first two goals. Saheed assisted the first goal scored by Adam while Adam’s shot ricocheted to find itself to Saheed for an easy tap in.
Bengal opened the scoring in the 10th minute against the run of play with Horizons starting the better of the two before they conceded the goal. Horizons spurned numerous chances in front of goal and the usually clinical attack failed to click. They paid the price for the ineffectiveness up front and Saheed managed to double Bengal’s lead in the 48th minute.
More misery piled on after Manivannan made it three for Bengal in the 50th minute. Horizons looked flattened after that and there wasn’t much of a fight left in them even though Magesh scored a consolation goal in the final minute of play.
More goals would have poured in had it not been for the goalkeeper, Kenny Oyelade and Jayanth Kumar who made some outstanding saves. Kenny Oyelade won the man of the match award for making some excellent saves in the second half to keep his side in the lead. Horizons are still at the top of the table but are now tied on points with Parikrma and Bengal. Supernova are in fourth with Gremio and Flipkart right behind them.
Man of the Match: Kenny Oyelade (FC Bengal)
Parikrma FC v Samba FC
Score: Parikrma FC (2) – (0) Samba FC
Scorers
Parikrma FC (Chiranjeevi Murugan 18’, Sunil Manjunath 49’)
A goal on either side of the half helped Parikrma beat Samba FC. As expected, Parikrma started the game on full throttle but the famed Samba defence held firm. Zaheer PA in goal was outstanding in the first quarter of the game before an injury forced him out. Parikrma opened the scoring in the 18th minute courtesy of a goal from striker Chiranjeevi Murugan who has rather been quite this season.
Samba had come prepared for this game and their defence continued to play their role in keeping the Parikrma attack quite. The second half was much of the same with Parikrma on the attack and Samba holding on to their positions until Sunil Manjunath doubled Parikrma’s lead in the 49th minute. Samba did have a chance or two but failed to make use of it with their forward left alone without any support up front.
Parikrma currently occupy second position in the table and are tied on points with league leaders Horizons and third placed Bengal. Their loss last week to Horizons didn’t prove as costly with the latter losing to Bengal earlier in the day. Samba have been a much-improved squad compared to last season and have shown resilience they showed in Season 2 when they became famous for their defensive capabilities.
They look like a safe bet to keep their status in Division 1 this season.
Man of the Match: Appu J (Parikrma FC)
Gremio FC v Supernova FC
Score: Gremio FC (2) – (1) Supernova FC
Scorers
Gremio FC (Jayaprasad J 34’, Shiva Kumar 38’)
Supernova FC (Prince Carl 48’)
Supernova lost an opportunity to go tied on points with the league leaders (and Bengal and Parikrma) when they lost 2-1 to Gremio. A resurgent Gremio side put in an impressive performance to bounce back from their draw against Yataghan and move up to fifth in the table.
Jayaprasad J opened the scoring from the penalty spot to give Gremio a deserved lead in the 34th minute. Second half substitute Shiva Kumar doubled the advantage soon after from a well-struck shot from the right side.
Prince Carl pulled one back for Supernova in the 48th minute and went in search of the equalizer for the final ten minutes of the game but the Gremio defence led by Othallo Tabia stood firm. Othallo was in fine form throughout the game starting attacks from the back as well as making decisive challenged in dangerous positions in their own box; a sliding challenge on James Hadeyemi in the dying moments of the game capped off a wonderful performance for the former Pune FC player.
The usual effectiveness of Zuvundru Victor and James was restricted by a well positioned Gremio defence. Jayaprasad controlled the strings in midfield while Hayder Halangy ran the front lines tirelessly.
Supernova have missed a golden opportunity in the title race but with 5 games left to go still they will have chances to make things right. Gremio look primed for a late onslaught on the title but a top three spot is a more realistic ambition for a side that got into things slowly in the early part of the season.
Man of the Match: Othallo Tabia (Gremio FC)
Flipkart FC v Project 7
Score: Flipkart FC (3) – (0) Project 7
Scorers
Flipkart FC (Pavan Powar 30’, 35’, Paarth Dhar 54’)
Flipkart completed a routine win against Project 7 to move up the table after a slow start to the season. The first half was more evenly matched as both sides went toe to toe but failed to capitalize on any of the attacking chances they were presented with. However, just on the stroke of halftime, Pavan Powar opened the scoring to change the face of the game.
Project 7 currently reside at the bottom of the table and haven’t taken the chances they have been presented with. Although their performances haven’t been bad their lack of experience at the back has played a major role in them conceding goals and dropping points.
Pavan Powar picked up his second for the night when he scored in the 35th minute and Project 7 looked doomed for another defeat. Paarth Dhar finished the game off when he picked up his first goal for the season when he slotted home the third goal in the 54th minute.
Flipkart go into the winter break on a high note and currently sit in the 6th place in the table. The additions they have made over the offseason especially Ravi Kiran have fit into the team seamlessly and now seem more like balanced outfit who can play different formations. On the other hand Project 7 need to restructure their team and strategy if they are going to turn around things in the second half of the season.
Man of the Match: Paarth Dhar (Flipkart FC)
