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Gameweek 2 set the contenders apart from the pretenders Titans went clear at the top with two wins in a row. Al-Fateh showed why they are the bookies’ favorites with a clinical dismantling of Grasshoppers FC. FC Bengal stunned Athlos United while FC Brunton picked up a hard-fought win against FC Kudlu. Elsewhere, FC Sparta Bengaluru quelled the challenge of Netbusters with an ease that will be a cause of worry for one of the promising teams from last season.
FC Kudlu 1 – 2 FC Brunton
An intriguing game between FC Kudlu and FC Brunton started proceedings for Gameweek 2 of Division 2. FC Brunton look a fresh side who have learnt from their experience last season of having a slow start. This showed as they meant business right from the start as they took the lead early through new signing Mohit Ahuja.
Another pointer we got from the game was the quality of the Kudlu side, who equalized before the break through star striker Akin. Just when it seemed like the game was headed for a stalemate, Mohit struck again to clinch it for Brunton condemning Kudlu to their second defeat in as many games, both of which can be termed undeserving.
Scorers:
Akinwumi Jarule 28' (FC Kudlu)
Mohit Ahuja 2', 55’ (FC Brunton)
FC Bengal 2 – 0 Athlos United FC
FC Bengal put a huge dent on Athlos’ title aspirations with a facile 2-0 win. FC Bengal, playing their first game, reminded everybody of their abilities with a complete team performance. Saheed, another striker who can run riots in defenses across the league was the star with a brace.
Athlos were slow and laborious and look like a team on the downswing. They will need to sort out things quickly or risk being left behind in the league. Bengal’s passionate display was a welcome addition as one of the teams that play with their hearts on their sleeves.
Scorers:
Saheed Adeoye 46', 53’ (FC Bengal)
Al-Fateh 4 – 0 Grasshoppers FC
Al-Fateh sent out a warning to all their rivals with a resounding victory over Grasshoppers FC. They were in control from the first minute and were rarely troubled. Even the presence of Grasshoppers star player Anto was no deterrent as they bullied their opposition into submission.
This must have been a rude awakening for Grasshoppers, who were riding high after their performance last week. Nihal was the hero for Al-Fateh with a hat-trick, the first of this season. Shaik Inayath added another to round off the game. There were solid performances all-round the pitch for Al-Fateh and with last season’s top scorer Tariq’s return to the team imminent, this could just set alarm bells ringing across the league.
Scorers:
Nihal Colaco 1', 34’, 46’; Shaikh Inayath 23' (Al-Fateh)
FC Sparta Bengaluru 4 -1 Netbusters FC
FC Sparta stunned Netbusters in the first game after lunch in what is probably the first major upset of the season. Netbusters lacked the cohesion needed to deal with the neat interplay in the Sparta midfield, Saquib the man pulling the strings in that set up.
Sparta defended their goal with the vigour that their name suggests and Netbusters found no way through that. Netbusters is another team who are unable to replicate their form from last season and will be looking to turn things around quickly. Sparta will be a confident bunch after picking up their first points in TAL and will be looking to go from strength to strength.
Scorers:
Vivian Pavamani 10', Benjamin George 11', Mohammed Saquib 34', Praveen Murali 58' (FCB Sparta)
Isaac Uloko 23' (Netbusters)
Titans FC 4 - 1 FC Lawless
Titans FC maintained their winning start to the campaign with a good win over FC Lawless with the same scoreline as the previous game. Elizar was the man to watch as he put on a show with two goals and host of dazzling runs and assists.
Anand Harris and Nihal were the other scorers for the young guns. FC Lawless meanwhile bagged an early goal to equalize but all it turned out to be was a consolation. Sitting at the bottom of the table, a change in fortunes is required without which they are faced with the prospect of becoming the punching bags of Division 2.
Scorers:
Elizar Bareh 4', 55’; Anand Harris 34'; Nihal T 53' (Titans FC)
Mayank Yadav 7' (FC Lawless)
Diablos FC 4- 0 Joras
Diablos FC thrashed Joras by four goals in the final game of the day, the fourth such game where 4 goals were scored and the second with a similar scoreline. The game was done and dusted as early as the 13th minute, by which time Diablos were leading 3-0.
The Joras side looked deflated and nowhere near the levels they reached last week. Diablos made up for their draw with Athlos the previous week and are now hot on the heels of table toppers Titans FC. Joras meanwhile slip to 8th position and will need to sort out their striking problems to get back to the top half of the table.
Scorers:
Raihaan Ponnappa 6', 13’; Sairam Ramesh 11'; Prateek Joshi 27' (Diablos FC)
| No. | Name | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 1 | Titans FC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 2 | Diablos FC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | Al-Fateh | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | FCB Sparta | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | FC Bengal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | FC Brunton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Grasshoppers FC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 3 |
| 8 | Joras | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 3 |
| 9 | Athlos United | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| 10 | FC Kudlu | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 0 |
| 11 | Netbusters FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
| 12 | FC Lawless | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 0 |
