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Season 3 got off to an exciting start with the contenders Parikrma FC, Horizons FC and Supernova FC all picking up wins as expected. Mercurial FC, Rare Dare FC and Mavericks FC were on the receiving ends respectively with Mercurial in particular conceding 8 goals. In other games, Yataghan Internazionale edged past Flipkart FC with a narrow 1-0 win while the other two games ended in draws.
FC Kougen Kikou and Project 7 set pulses racing with a thrilling 2-2 draw whereas Gremio FC and Samba FC played out a scoreless but highly entertaining draw.Going by their form in the first round of matches, Parikrma FC, Horizons FC and Supernova FC can all be labeled as realistic title contenders and the fight looks to be tougher than ever. With the number of relegation spots raised to three, one can certainly look forward to fiercely contested battles over the next 5 months at both ends of the table.
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Yataghan Internazionale 1-0 Flipkart FC
Season 3 kicked off with a tight game between Yataghan and Flipkart FC. Both teams started off cautiously as they tested out the new make-up of their teams. Though largely unchanged from last season, fluidity was yet to make its way into the gameplay. With chances few and far between, the teams went into half-time with nothing much to show for.
After the break however, Gautam put Yataghan ahead which turned out to be the only goal in the game, ensuring a win for Yataghan to kick-start their campaign. Despite the loss, Flipkart gave a very good account of themselves and can hope to build on this in the upcoming games.
Scorers: Gautam Rajagopalan 34' (Yataghan Internazionale)
Mavericks FC 1-4 Supernova FC
Supernova FC picked up from where they left last season as they romped home comfortably against a Mavericks side that did not look as organized as we have come to expect. Thiru was the star of the show as he dictated the play with ease and also helped himself to a couple of goals with new signing Nabin and Dev being the other scorers.
Mavericks did reply with a goal through the promising Bharath Reddy, but the game was done and dusted by then as far as Supernova were concerned. Supernova will be looking to replicate their invincible form of last season whereas Mavericks will need to sort out their issues or risk being dragged into a relegation battle.
Scorers: Bharath Reddy 40' (Mavericks FC) Thirumurugan R 2', Nabin S 10', Thirumurugan R 38', Dev R 58' (Supernova FC)
FC Kougen Kikou 2 - 2 Project 7
Perhaps the most entertaining game of the day took place between FC Kougen Kikou and Project 7. The game got off to a blistering start when Arpan Roy scored in the 1st minute to hand a shock lead to Project 7. Kougen Kikou though drew level by the 20th minute. Project 7 looked to have sealed the game with a 51st-minute goal but were pegged back again in the dying seconds to square the game in thrilling fashion.
Considering the overall game, this was probably a fair result for both teams as neither deserved to lose. Both teams will now be looking to take positives out of this game as they prepare for the long campaign ahead.
Scorers: Hiroki Akiyama 20', Akinobu Nakayama 59' (FC Kougen Kikou) Arpan Roy 1', Prithvi Sagar 51'(Project 7)
Parikrma FC 8 – 0 Mercurial FC
It was a goal fest in the first game post lunch as Parikrma swatted aside a Mercurial side that has failed to improve despite new signings. It still may be early days but the signs are ominous for Mercurial FC. They were put to the sword by an immaculate Parikrma side that look to be a strong contender for the title. This must have been a demoralizing defeat for Mercurial but they should look to build on their experiences from past seasons and improve their performances.
Scorers: Chiranjeevi M 8', Benny Marquis 10', Chiranjeevi M 16', Nikhil Gopal 20', Ravi Babu 25', Fayaz A 48', Chiranjeevi M 50', Appu J 60' (Parikrma FC)
Gremio FC 0 - 0 Samba FC
The penultimate game of the day pitted familiar foes against each other as Gremio FC took on Samba FC. Gremio FC looked a much-changed side this time with some astute signings whereas Samba FC are looking to build on the stable core they have. Both teams had chances to nick the game with Gremio especially missing some great chances towards the end of the game.
But the lack of adventure from Gremio in the first half probably makes this a fair result with Samba themselves spurning some good chances to take the lead. Gremio will look to shed their tag of ‘nearly’ title contenders and hope to pose a serious challenge whereas Samba will be looking for a top-four finish themselves.
Horizons FC 4 – 0 Rare Dare FC
The final game of the day saw a much changed Rare Dare team take on perennial favorites Horizons FC. Though the score-line suggests an easy win for Horizons, Rare Dare seems to be a much improved side from last time. If this game is anything to go by, they looked to have got in a couple of solid players at the back to fix their defensive woes. Horizons though, proved to be a bridge too far for the new-look Rare Dare team to cross.
They will however give most of the good sides a stern workout and should look for a top-half finish. Horizons meanwhile, have the small matter of staving off the challenges of Supernova and Parikrma to regain the title. All this points to a lip-smacking season in store for The Amateur League faithful!
Scorers: Ricky Solomon 5', Ravinder Singh 10', Sushruth Gopal 42', Dinesh Kumar 47' (Horizons FC)
Standings (After Gameweek 1)
| Position | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parikrma FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 |
| 2 | Horizons FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 3 | Supernova FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Yataghan Internazionale | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | FC Kougen Kikou | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Project 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Gremio FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Samba FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Flipkart FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 10 | Mavericks FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 0 |
| 11 | Rare Dare FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -4 | 0 |
| 12 | Mercurial FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -8 | 0 |
