Highflyers FC v Sen Q
Score: Highflyers FC (1)- (0) Sen Q
Scorers
Highflyers FC (Madhur Manchanda 8’)
Highflyers picked up their first win of the campaign defeating Sen Q by a goal to nil. Sen Q started the stronger side and almost took the lead in the first twenty seconds if it wasn’t for the heroics of Amit Bhatla, the Highflyers keeper. Two more back-to-back saves by Bhatla ensured his side didn’t concede early. They also took full advantage of the missed opportunities by their opponents to take the lead.
Madhur Manchanda made an emphatic run on the flanks and then scooped the ball over the incoming Sen Q keeper to hand his side the lead. Sen Q’s plan of using Rahul Gulia up front hadn’t worked and Sen Q spent the entire match chasing down their opponents who were extremely efficient when it came to keeping slender leads intact.
Sen Q were determined to get a goal but every one of their attacks ended in Highflyers thwarting it in the final third with special credit to the Man of the Match Amit Bhatla, who put in one of the performances of the season in goal.
Shrey Yadav in midfield had an excellent game along with Dipankar who assisted the first goal. Varun Joneja and Vijay Nair also had a part to play as they helped their side to the first win of the season.
Substitutions in the second half for Highflyers ensured they had fresh legs on and manager Rahul’s strategy worked as Sen Q see themselves slipping down the table after this defeat.
Man of the Match: Amit Bhatla (Highflyers FC)
Phoenix FC v Storm Youth
Score: Phoenix FC (1) – (2) Storm Youth
Scorers
Phoenix FC (Siddharth Joshi 34’)
Storm Youth (Antoine K (OG 44’), Rahul Sharma 55’)
Storm Youth got off the mark with a comeback win over in-form Phoenix FC. Doubts remained about Storm’s chances pre-game with the absence of Jatin Copra on the sidelines but Kabir Nagpal stepped up to the occasion and delivered his side’s first victory in TAL. The inclusion of Vikram Kaira in Storm’s starting 11 made all the difference and Nagpal must be commended on his selection.
The first half saw a lot of chances created but the defences from both teams were stubborn and the game went into halftime goalless. Phoenix drew first blood in the second half when Siddharth Joshi found a way past the Storm goalkeeper in the 34th minute.
Storm Youth, however, were resolute in their determination to make a game out of it and with a tinge of luck they were back on level terms. An own goal from Antoine Kakou saw Storm back on level terms before Rahul Sharma scored the eventual winner in the 55th minute.
Vikram Kaira was influential in midfield and dictated the play throughout the game eventually earning the Man of the Match plaudits. Akshay Chopra and Manav also put in good performances for Storm Youth who are just finding their feet in the league. For Phoenix, Fulgence was influential but could not find the finish to add to his goal tally.
Man of the Match: Vikram Kaira (Storm Youth)
Dwarka FC v Panthers FC
Score: Dwarka FC (3)- (1) Panthers FC
Scorers
Dwarka FC (Kunal Sachdeva 14’, Pawan Pangty 24’, Sanjay Rawat 30’)
Panthers FC (Vishal Nagarkoti 52’)
Dwarka FC continued their unbeaten run to make it 5 wins in 5 games. Panthers FC could not match up to the precision and efficiency of Dwarka who sit atop the table with a two-point lead over Q Squad. The inclusion of the Rawat brothers on each flank for Dwarka proved to be the difference with both impacting the game ensuring their side picked up all three points.
Kunal Sachedva got on the score sheet finally and even though his assists have ben the talk of the league, the missed chances from previous games were a glaring hole in his game. He set things right this game opening the scoring in the 14th minute before Pawan Pangty added a second in the 24th minute. The decisive goal was scored by Man of the Match Sanjay Rawat who on the stroke of halftime made it 3-0 in favour of Dwarka to kill the game off.
Although Panthers pulled one back in the 52nd minute through Vishal Nagarkoti it was too late in the game for it to have any effect on the result. Dipesh Kumar played well for Panthers but found little support from his teammates especially in midfield. Dwarka now move one step closer to the title but they have to keep looking over their backs with Q Squad only 2 points behind them.
Man of the Match: Sanjay Rawat (Dwarka FC)
Q Squad v Delhi Student FC
Score: Q Squad (2) – (0) Delhi Student FC
Scorers
Q Squad (Ritwick Dutta 22’, Surya S 60’)
Q Squad continued their fine run picking up their fourth win on the go when they defeated Delhi Student FC in the fourth game of the day. Both goalkeepers were called into action early in the game and made some fine saves to keep their respective sides in the game.
Saurabh Baurala was excellent for DSFC and had a big impact on the game but eventually ended up on the losing side. DSFC, although a highly talented team are lacking a manager on the sidelines, who could really bring this team together. Ritwick Dutta opened the scoring in the 22nd minute to hand Q Squad the lead. Dutta who now has 4 goals in 5 games capitalised on a mix up in the defensive box of DSFC.
The game was evenly matched throughout and only a goal in the final minute from Suri Jr really pushed the scoreline in favour of Q Squad. Aryan Suri earned the Man of the Match plaudits after a fine performance but credit must be given to the whole team who really came together to eke out this result and keep their team in the title chase.
Man of the Match: Aryan Suri (Q Squad)
Storm FC v Ultimate FC
Score: Storm FC (4) – (1) Ultimate FC
Scorers
Storm FC (G King 11’, 25’, 48’; Abhay Lamba 13’)
Ultimate FC ( Krish Chauhan 59’)
Storm FC got back to winning ways and in a convincing manner too when they defeated Ultimate FC 4-1. G King was the star of the match picking up his first hat trick in TAL. This earned him the Man of the Match plaudits as well as an important three points that see his side back in contention for the top three.
King opened the scoring in the 11th minute to hand his side the lead. There was no looking back for Storm after that and they doubled their lead two minutes later thanks to a goal from Abhay Lamba. King added one more in the first half to essentially kill the game off. Ultimate FC are slowly coming together as a team and their inexperience on the big pitch showed. Although, given their performances over the past couple of weeks, it's clear this team will pull it together come the end of the season.
Storm used their experience of playing regular 11-a-side football to shut down the match in the second half earning them all three points. King scored his third of the night in the 48th minute while Krish Chauhan scored a consolation goal in the 59th minute for Ultimate.
Man of the Match: G King (Storm FC)
FC Kickers v Wishwakings
Score: FC Kickers (5) –(6) Wishwakings
Scorers
FC Kickers (Taiki 7’, 48’, 48’; Takishi Yoshuda 21’; Takuma 49’)
Wishwakings (Rajat Vaish 1’,16’; Chetan Phore 3’, 12’, 17’; Karan Dewan 40’)
An 11-goal thriller between Kickers and Wishwakings ended 6-5 in favour of Wishwakings who move into the top three after this win. Rajat Vaish opened the scoring in the 1st minute to hand Wishwakings the lead, which was soon doubled when Chetan Phore scored in the 3rd minute. Kickers responded with Taiki scoring in the 7th minute to keep Kickers in the game. Two more quick-fire goals from Wishwakings gave them a 3 goal cushion 17 minutes into the game.
If the first quarter gave onlookers the impression that the game was done, they were in for a surprise. Taiki picked up a hat trick for Kickers while Chethan Phore did the same for Wishwakings. Kickers really got into the game in the second half and scored three quick-fire goals – two from Taiki and one from Takuma – to turn the game on its head going into the final quarter. Wishwakings, however, made some important changes to keep the lead.
Rajat Vaish and Chethan Phore formed an incredible partnership in the game and were largely responsible for their team’s win while Karan Dewan’s all important goal in the 40th minute gave them the breathing space they needed. Kickers must be lauded for their efforts in the second half and although a draw would have been a fair result given the effort, Wishwakings duly deserved the three points for their attacking mindset from the get go.
Man of the Match: Chethan Phore (Wishwakings)
