The Aces v Dragons AFC
Score: The Aces 2 – 2 Dragons AFC
Scorers
The Aces (Sai Mahesh 37’, Devanshu Sharma 40’)
Dragons AFC (Innocent D 20’, Kyetok Kyab 48’)
The Aces and Dragons split the points on the opening game of the day with four goals scored in total. The first quarter of the game saw Dragons in charge of the possession but both teams had chances and could have taken the lead early, but squandered chances. Dragons took the lead in the 20th minute when new signing Innocent D managed to slot home the goal, and took the lead half-time.
The Aces fought back in the second half and made some important substitutions to change the tide in their favour. The tactical change paid off with Sai Mahesh equalising in the 37th minute before Devanshu Sharma struck again 3 minutes later to turn the game on its head.
Dragons were playing well as a unit and it showed; even though they were down in the game, their attitude didn’t change and they went in search of the equaliser which they found. In the 48th minute, Man of the Match, Kyetok Kyab, found the back of the net from a set piece situation.
Both teams would feel that they deserved the three points but a draw was a fair result given that both teams had the lead in the game and had enough in their tank to dish out equalisers. Dragons tapered off in the second half but their first half performance showed the improvement this team has made week on week.
The Aces have also made key additions to the team but that win has been elusive for them. With only three games gone, a lot could change for these teams in the coming weeks.
Man of the Match: Kyetok Kyab (Dragons AFC)
Can-a-bees FC v Royal Eagles FC
Score: Can-a-bees FC 1 – 2 Royal Eagles FC
Scorers
Can-a-bees FC (Aniketh Nathvani 23’)
Royal Eagles FC (Bobin Shrestha 41’, 54’)
Royal Eagles completed a come from behind win against Can-a-bees FC scoring two second-half goals to pick up all three points. Can-a-bees would feel they were hard done by the result having ben the better side for most of the game but they need to put this result behind them while only taking away the positives. Royal Eagles, on the other hand, showed grit and determination to find a way in the second half to fight back even when things weren’t going their way.
Can-a-bees were the dominant side in the first half and they were duly rewarded when Aniketh Nathvani opened the scoring in the 23rd minute. Rahul Sharma who assisted the goal was extremely active in the on the attacking front and had a big impact on the game along with new signing Charles Clinton who was a threat on the wing throughout the game.
Royal Eagles switched things up at half-time and their changes worked with their gameplay flowing with much more ease. Royal Eagles star striker Bobin Shrestha was at the helm of things again and converted from the spot to equalise in the 41st minute.
Harish K of Royal Eagles had a big part to play in the second half of the game. Royal Eagles took control of the game in the final quarter and managed to find the winner in the 54th minute through Bobin Shrestha once again. Royal Eagles move up the table to fourth with this win and will be hoping to stay in the top half of the table.
Can-a-bees FC should take solace in the fact that they didn’t play badly in the game but complacency in the final quarter did cost them the game.
Man of the Match: Bobin Shresta (Royal Eagles FC)
Simba Sports FC v United 4th Phase FC
Score: Simba Sports FC 1 – 0 United 4th Phase FC
Scorers
Simba Sports FC (Victor Zuvundru 56’)
A tense battle between Simba Sports and United 4th ended with Simba picking up all three points thanks to a late goal. The game was evenly matched between the two sides with United 4th playing out their game plan to perfection. Simba could not get going early in the game with United 4th set up in an extremely compact manner defensively. Their plan of hitting their opponents on the counter-attack almost worked but their finishing was lacking and they could not carry out their plan to perfection.
Simba were lacking their usual oomph in attack but credit must be given to United 4th’s defence who stifled their attack with a well-rehearsed game plan. For Simba, the back line must also be credited who managed to keep United 4th attack in check with a special mention going out to Eric Kabiwata who was outstanding in the first half.
For United 4th, the back line of Akhil and Prakash held firm throughout while Darshan put in a strong performance at left back making some crucial challenges to keep his side in the game. Dauda Ahme switched from his usual midfield role to a more centre back role in the second half and the plan almost worked if it wasn’t for second half substitute, Zuvundru Victor scoring a late winner for Simba Sports in the 56th minute.
United 4th would feel they deserved a point from the game and although that might have been a fair result, Simba came away with three points. Credit must be given to Simba’s manager Joe Lubula who saw that things weren’t going according to plan and made the necessary changes in the second half grind out the win.
From the looks of it, both these teams are strong contenders for the title and promotion but it's still early in the season and they need to build on these performances if they are going to achieve their goals.
Man of the Match: Zuvundru Victor (Simba Sports FC)
Brothers United v Pegasus FC
Score: Brothers United 10 – 0 Pegasus FC
Scorers
Brothers United (Sunil Belgaonkar 8’, Umar Meer 9’, Alok Kumar 23’, 33’, Shahbaz Desai 26’, Praveen P 39’, 46’, 51’, Shubham Agarwal 43’, 56’)
Brothers United picked up their first win of the season when they defeated Pegasus in dominant fashion. Although the score line might be a little flattering to Brothers, they thoroughly deserved the result and the three points. Scoring ten goals and conceding none definitely helped Brothers move up the table and improve their goal difference drastically.
Sunil Belgaonkar opened the scoring in the 8th minute and was dangerous throughout the first half on every attacking move. Umar Meer quickly doubled their lead and with a long-range effort before captain Alok Kumar increased the margin to three.
Things got worse for Pegasus when Shahbaz Desai made it four before half-time. The goals flowed freely in the second half with second half substitute Praveen scoring a hat-trick and Shubham Agarwal picking up a brace. Brothers were in full control of the game and this win should be morale boosting to a side that lost their first two games.
Pegasus have taken some time to come together on the pitch and need a lot of practice playing together as a team, but given the glimpses of individual talent we have seen, it’s only a matter of time before they pick up that first win.
Man of the Match: Umar Meer (Brothers United)
Bangalore City FC B v Tornadoes FC
Score: Bangalore City FC B 2 – 1 Tornadoes FC
Scorers
Bangalore City FC B (Papi Keita 18’, 49’)
Tornadoes FC (Mohammed Khaleel 56’)
Papi Keita’s brace led Bangalore City FC B to another victory, this time over Tornadoes FC in a closely contested match that saw the former come out on top with a 2-1 score line. Papi has now scored a ridiculous 10 goals in 3 games and looks unplayable. Papi opened the scoring in the 18th minute from the spot to hand his side the lead but earlier Tornadoes wasted a few chances to take the lead themselves.
The story remained the same for the rest of the first half with Tornadoes squandering away opportunities in front of goal. Bangalore City FC also had a couple of chances to double their lead in the first half but failed to do so and the game went into halftime with a 1-0 score line in favour of Bangalore City FC. BCFC, however, doubled their advantage in the second half when Papi was played through and top goal scorer of the division made no mistake in slotting home the goal.
Tornadoes recovered from that blow and played well in the final ten minutes of the game to pull back one goal through Mohammed Khaleel who converted from the penalty spot but it was too little too late and the Tornadoes succumbed to BCFC.
BCFC now have three wins in three games and look early season candidates to lift the Division 4 trophy but a bunch of tough fixtures yet to come they need to continue playing at their best. Tornadoes would feel they deserved a point from the game but the results don’t lie and they will be ruing the chances they wasted in front of goal, which eventually cost them the game.
Man of the Match: Papi Keita (Bangalore City FC B)
Kammanhattan All Stars v Rangers FC
Score: Kammanhattan All Stars 3 – 1 Rangers FC
Scorers
Kammanhattan All Stars (Koti Platini 13’, Victor Augustine 52’, Luc Ndjoli 59’)
Rangers FC (Santosh R 60’)
The final game of the day saw Kammanhattan All Stars defeat Rangers to take home all three points. Koti Platini opened the scoring in the 13th minute for Kammanhattan when a loose ball fell to him in the box and he made no mistake in slotting home from close range. The game was evenly contested between both sides for most of the duration of the game but individual mistakes eventually cost Rangers the game.
The game went into halftime with a 1 – 0 scoreline but the second half saw Kammanhattan take full charge of the game. Even though Victor Augustine didn’t score the second goal of the match till the 52nd minute, Kammanhattan thoroughly deserved it with the amount of chances they created and the possession they had.
New signings Musta Muswere and Shane Mark were excellent throughout the game and the depth of this squad is one of the strongpoints of the team. Second half substitute Luc Ndjoli put the game to bed in the 59th minute scoring his second for the campaign.
For Rangers, Santosh played extremely well on the wing and picked up a consolation goal in the 60th minute. Rangers were held at bay thanks largely to an outstanding performance from the Kammanhattan centre back Ibrahim Al Saadi who excelled at the back.
Given the talent in the Rangers squad, it is surprising that they have picked up only 1 point in 3 games but there is no doubt this team will create some noise before the season ends. Kammanhattan move into the top three with this win and look like title contenders in this early stage of the season.
Man of the Match: Ibrahim Al Saadi (Kammanhattan All Stars)
