Decathlon FC v Phoenix FC
Score: Decathlon FC (4) – (1) Phoenix FC
Scorers: Decathlon FC (Benoit B 24’, 45’, Vijoy Nair 42’, Sultan Barnes 51’), Phoenix FC (Adithya Sridhar 41’)
Decathlon picked up a much-needed win against Phoenix FC routing them 4-1 in an impressive performance. Debutant Benoit L made all the difference with the forward picking up a brace and was generally at the helm of things. Phoenix who were coming off a win against Joga Bonito last week could not assert their presence on the match with the attacking line failing to click.
The opening quarter of the game was scrappy with both teams unable to string together any meaningful plays although decathlon always looked likely to be the team to open the scoring, and they did in the 24th minute when Benoit found himself open at the top of the box. The second half began with Phoenix taking charge of things and they were duly rewarded when Aditya Sridhar scored the equaliser in the 41st minute.
Although Phoenix did find the back of the net, they seemed disjointed at the back and it looked only a matter of time before Decathlon took the lead again.
Vijoy Nair did exactly that in the 42nd minute giving Decathlon the lead before his strike partner Benoit doubled the lead picking up his second for the night. Midfield maestro Sultan Barnes scored a fourth for his team to put the game completely to bed. Decathlon look like a team improving week-on-week and could be the dark horse for one of the promotion spots. Phoenix still need to fix a few things in their squad but playing more together will definitely send them in the right direction.
Man of the Match: Benoit L (Decathlon FC)
Upcoming Fixtures:
Decathlon FC v Joga Bonito
Phoenix FC v Bangalore City FC
Sunday Boys v Jain University
Score: Sunday Boys (3) – (0) Jain University
Scorers: Sunday Boys (Karthik S 30’, Athul Nambiar 43’, Pratap Chandan 44’)
Sunday Boys stamped their title credentials on the division with a 3 – 0 win over rivals Jain University. Coming into this game, the teams looks evenly matched but the high tempo and high pressing game of Sunday Boys undid the usually solid Jain squad. Sunday were quick to retrieve the ball when they lost possession and didn’t allow Jain to get into their attacking game.
The Sunday defence led by Rui Gregorio, Suhas and Shamanth was well positioned and with the help of the midfield was quick to stifle the division’s top goal scorer Vignesh Srinivas. The breakthrough came just before the halftime whistle when Karthik found himself in open space and the lead going into halftime had a massive impact on the rest of the game. The second half of the game began the same way with Jain unable to get a foothold in the game and the chances they had, they squandered.
With Jain out on the attack in the second half in search of the equaliser, gaps started opening up in the back and Sunday Boys went on to score two more goals to put the game to bed. The 3-0 score-line for Sunday Boys was a little bit flattering because Jain did play a good game but were outplayed by the more experience Sunday Boys squad.
Shamanth Gowda won the man of the match for his performance on both ends of the pitch with the right back extremely efficient in his role. Sunday Boys are now one of the two teams – along with BCFC – who haven't dropped points yet. Jain will need to regroup together quickly to keep pace with their title rivals as any more dropped points could mean the end of their title challenge.
Man of the Match: Shamanth Gowda (Sunday Boys)
Upcoming Fixtures
Sunday Boys v Bullring AFC
Jain University v Vipers FC
Bull Ring AFC v Bangalore Kop
Score: Bull Ring AFC (4) – (1) Bangalore Kop
Scorers: Bullring AFC (Chirag B 4’, 15’, Dushyanth Suresh 48’, 55’), Bangalore Kop (Uttkarsh Kekre 37’)
Bull Ring AFC picked up their first win of the campaign when they bested Bangalore Kop 4 – 1. Both teams hadn’t picked up any points before this game and were desperate to move away from the bottom of the table but it was Bull Ring who showed the right attitude getting onto the pitch. Debutant Chirag B was quick to get on the scoresheet when he opened the scoring in the 4th minute and Bull Ring never looked back after that.
The ‘Fellaini’ styled forward picked up his second for the day when he found himself in front of the open net for an easy goal to make it two in Bull Ring’s favour. Bangalore Kop temporarily got back into the game, but they were missing the leadership of Rodney Jude, and couldn’t really find the back of the net until after halftime when Uttkarsh Kekre pulled one back for them. The game got a little intense after that with Bull Ring taking on a more defensive style of play but when Dushyanth Suresh added a third for them the winner was decided.
Man of the Match Dushyanth Suresh picked up his second for the day to remove any doubts about the result of the game. Bull Ring picked up a much-needed win that should be a morale booster for their season. Bangalore Kop, on the other hand, need to get in some practice sessions to change their fortune around. They need improvement in quite a few areas and adding some personnel when the Free Agent Window opens will be imperative.
Man of the Match: Dushyanth Suresh (Bull Ring AFC)
Upcoming Fixtures:
Bullring AFC v Sunday Boys
Bangalore Kop v Amigos FC
Joga Bonito v Oldmans Park
Score: Joga Bonito (3) – (3) Oldmans Park
Scorers: Joga Bonito (Joshy Ferdinand 14’, Gigen Dev 18’, 28’), Oldman’s Park FC (Chandan O 25’, Bharath P 38’, Adil Katrak 57’)
Oldmans Park surprised everyone when they came back from 2 goals down to pick up a draw against Joga Bonito. Joga were the clear favourites going into the game and they seemed on their way to a win when captain Joshy Ferdinand opened the scoring for them in the 14th minute. Forward Gigen Dev doubled their lead shortly after and Joga seemed to be on the right track but a defensive mistake saw them concede a goal to Chandan five minutes before halftime.
Oldmans Park thought they had something to take into the break but their own defensive frailties saw them concede another goal just before halftime with Gigen Dev picking up his second for the day. Whatever the talk was in the Oldmans bench during halftime worked and they came out of the break looking more like a team rather disjointed individuals. When Bharath P scored for Oldmans Park in the 38th minute they got right back into it and Joga retreated into their shell hoping they could hold onto their slender lead.
Joga thought their plan had worked with the clock winding down but they conceded a foul just outside the box presented Oldmans with a chance to level things up. Specialist free kick taker Surjit TJ was expected to take it but Adil Katrak stepped up for this all-important kick and he didn’t disappoint; a well-placed spot kick saw the ball reach the back of the net and things were level with barely any time left on the clock.
Both teams are without wins but Oldmans would take this result as a positive as they look to move away from the bottom. Joga came into the league with a solid reputation but have thus far failed to click and they need to change things around quickly if they are to escape relegation.
Man of the Match: Gigen Dev (Joga Bonito)
Upcoming Fixtures:
Joga Bonito v Decathlon FC
Oldman’s Park FC v Engineers United
Bangalore City FC v Engineers United
Score: Bangalore City FC (5) – (0) Engineers United
Scorers: Bangalore City FC (Alassane Kanudji 4’, 14’, 40’, Pritam Maiti 28’, Seye Kire 30’, )
Bangalore City FC put in a five-star performance against Engineers United to go top of the table in the early stages of the season. They are yet to conceded a goal in 3 matches and have been in a rampant form on the attacking front. They have scored 26 goals in their 3 matches and look unstoppable. Engineers United put in a good fight but their main problem lay in the fact that they couldn’t convert any of them and they paid the price for it.
Alassane Kanudji opened the scoring for BCFC in the 4th minute to open the floodgates and the versatile forward doubled his tally in the 14th minute before Pritam Maiti and Seye Kire made it four going into the break. Engineers United shaped their strategy differently at halftime and came back a much more solid unit in the second half and although they conceded one more goal in the 40th minute with the man of the match Alassane completing his hat trick, they shut shop defensively to keep the second half competitive.
BCFC are in pole position now and would not want to lose their spot but with tougher games coming their way in the next few weeks they will have to be on top form to keep their position. Engineers are a good team that will finish in the top half of the table but if they need to make that jump into the top three they will have to strengthen their attack and with the winter transfer window just around the corner, they might have some shopping to do.
Man of the Match: Alassane Kanudji (Bangalore City FC)
Upcoming Fixtures:
Bangalore City FC v Phoenix FC
Engineers United v Oldman’s Park FC
Amigos FC v Vipers FC
Score: Amigos FC (3) – (2) Vipers FC
Scorers: Amigos FC (Uday Kumar 30’, Salim V (OG) 45’, Jithin Joseph 49’), Vipers FC (Ashwin Gopalkrishnan 28’, Prajwal Nagaraju 52’)
Amigos FC were keen on redeeming themselves after being unable to put some points to their name and a match against Vipers FC a team that has been identified as their rivals making it a derby match was the perfect setting for Amigos to get the team together and acquire the much needed morale apart from the integral points that were up for grabs. Vipers, on the other hand, were in excellent form up until this match and were just looking to continue their victorious run.
Ashwin Gopalkrishnan opened the scoring for Vipers FC by scoring a goal in the 28th minute and it seemed like things were going their way until new signee Uday Kumar scored one 2 minutes later just before the half time whistle announcing that the game was far from over. The second half began and it saw a hard fought struggle for possession between both teams until the 45th minute when a defensive lapse by the Vipers saw Salim V head the ball into his own net giving Amigos the lead.
Amigos displayed their tactical prowess by capitalising on the down and out Vipers by making substitutions while Vipers saw several of their players fall prey to the dreaded cramps. Jithin Joseph converted a goal in the 49th minute not only sealing the deal but also redeeming himself for missing a penalty opportunity he had missed earlier. Prajwal Nagaraju scored a goal just a few minutes after but it was a little too late for the Vipers to make anything of it and it ended with Amigos earning a well-deserved win.
Vipers FC are still in a comfortable spot on the table and this lapse in concentration should be nothing short of a wakeup call for them to pull their socks up with several important fixtures coming their way. Amigos have finally found their rhythm and their primary goal will be to keep it intact and make full use of it to climb the ladder and aim for promotion.
Man of the Match: Arvind Kumar (Amigos FC)
Upcoming Fixtures:
Amigos FC v Bangalore Kop
Vipers FC v Jain University
