FC Brunton (Mohit Ahuja 44’)
C2 FC (Abhijeet Rautela 50’)
Brunton put in a strong performance against C2 FC to pick up a draw although Brunton would feel they deserved the three points. C2 FC weren’t up to mark and Brunton’s high pressing tactics disrupted their usually efficient possession-based play. The first half saw chances for both sides but with neither able to convert those chances they were presented with and the game went into a halftime a goalless draw.
Mohit Ahuja was a threat all game long and made up for his missed chances with a strong run past C2’s defenders to open the scoring in the 44th minute. C2 FC wasted no time in searching for a equaliser and six minutes later Abhijeet ‘Bobby’ Rautela scored in the 50th minute to put his side back on level terms. Brunton’s defence was strong throughout the game and they were unlucky to let a goal in.
Jaiwardhan Kharbanda land Rajat Reddy formed a solid partnership in defence and were helped by Divij Muthappa and Farzan Abbas as Brunton stifled C2’s attack. For C2, Yeshwanth Mekala had a good game but found no support from his forward line to finish off the chances he created.
The midseason addition of Nakul Ganapathy for Brunton proved to be a masterstroke with the midfielder providing a composed presence in midfield. This loss leaves C2 FC 6 points behind league leaders Al-Fateh, who also won their game but their main concern will now be getting one of the promotion spots in what looks to be a tight race at the top of table. Brunton had a lot of positives to take from this game and if the continue playing like this they will avoid the drop.
Man of the Match: Jaiwardhan Kharbanda (FC Brunton)
Athlos United 1-2 Titans FC
Scorers:
Athlos United (Mohnish Madnani 19’)
Titans FC (Nihal Hedge 28’, Ashwin Ramakrishnan 56’)
Titans kept their title hopes alive by defeating Athlos United in a tightly contested game. Titans had to dig deep after going down in the 14th minute when a beautiful curling free kick from Athlos centre-back Mohnish Madnani found the back of the net in the 19th minute. Titans though are no short of attacking firepower and found the equaliser soon after via Nihal Hegde, who put in a ‘man of the match’ performance.
The game went into halftime on level terms but both teams needed a win and it showed when they came out of halftime. Athlos started the second half the stronger side but could not find the finesses in the final third to breakthrough while Titans kept losing possession in midfield but once they fixed those problems Titans took control of the game.
Although they had possession, they failed to convert any of the chances they were presented with and just when it looked like the game was heading for a draw Ashwin was played through and Titans took the lead through him with only four minutes left on the clock. Athlos looked deflated after letting in that goal and their usually composed demeanour was lost.
Titans are still 3 points behind the league leaders Al-Fateh but with their clash against them coming up in two weeks time, they have every chance to catch up with them. Athlos United’s title chase might have come to an end after this loss but the final promotion spot is still up for grabs and Athlos will definitely be aiming for that but they have stiff competition from three other sides – C2 FC, Rebels and Diablos for that one coveted spot.
Man of the Match: Nihal Hegde (Titans FC)
Emdee Al-Fateh 4-2 Diablos FC
Scorers
Emdee Al-Fateh (Shariq Sheriff 13’, Stalin Elija 38’, Abhishek R 43’,60’)
Diablos FC (Tushar Das 19’, Chirag Jain 45’)
Al-Fateh maintained their 3 point lead at the top after defeating Diablos in a high scoring affair that saw 6 goals between the sides. Shariq opened the scoring in the 13th minute but both sides were toe-to-toe through the first half. Tushar Das equalised for Diablos 6 minutes later after Rohan Daniel played him through with an exquisitely timed pass to split the defence.
The game was level at halftime with Diablos looking every bit up for the challenge but things went awry in the second half with Al-Fateh putting the gas to the pedal. Stalin found the back of the net in the 38th minute taking advantage of a Diablos defence that switched off for a second. Strangely, the turning point in the game came when Adil Ahmed switched positions with goalkeeper Abhishek R to make the latter an outfield player.
Abhishek scored a goal in the 43rd minute to double their lead but Chirag Jain of Diablos pulled one back immediately through a well-placed header. The game got intense for the last quarter with Diablos in search for the equaliser but Al-Fateh did enough to hold on to their lead and ended up scoring a goal in the last minute of play, again through Abhishek.
Al-Fateh sit atop the perch and have a three point lead over Titans who also won their game earlier in the day. The next two weeks will be extremely important for them with games against third-placed Rebels and second placed Titans coming up back-to-back. Diablos, on the other hand, might have just stepped out of the title race with this loss but with the final promotion spot still within their reach, they have a lot left to play for.
Man of the Match: Abhishek R (Emdee Al-Fateh)
FC Sparta 4-0 BFE United
Scorers
FC Sparta (Udith S 18’,20’, 37’, Benjamin George 26’)
Sparta picked up their second win of the season when they defeated BFE United in a convincing manner. Although they are still in the red zone they have moved above Mercurial FC to 10th, while their goal difference –surprisingly a +1 right now – should come in handy come end of the season. BFE United are still without a point and lie at the bottom of the table and with the gap between them and nearest safety spot has increased to 7 points, which means only wins can save them from here on out.
Winter signing Udith S was the man of the match after picking up a hat trick and was crucial to Sparta’s dominant attacking performance. Benjamin George also managed to get on the score sheet to round off a balanced outing that also saw them keep a clean sheet, something they have struggled to do all season long. BFE United managed to go to toe-to-toe for the first quarter of the game but once Sparta broke through their defence, the goals poured in in short intervals.
Udith opened the scoring in the 18th minute and two minutes later doubled his team’s lead. Benjamin George made it three just before half-time to all but finish the game off.
BFE put on a better performance in the second half, which saw them only conceded one more goal, but they might need to tinker with their strategy to make it more attack minded.
Sparta still have a long way to go before they are out of the relegation woods but their positive goal difference indicates the strong performances they have put in despite not winning those games. With the goal difference between Sparta and fifth placed Kudlu only 5 points, anything could happen with 5 games yet to go. BFE really need wins at this point of time but rather than heaping more pressure on themselves they need to play with some freedom and the results might just fall their way.
Man of the Match: Udith S (FC Sparta)
FC Kudlu 2-1 Garden Boys FC
Scorers:
FC Kudlu (Nikutten Neroth 35’, Nishant Panwar 59’)
Garden Boys FC (Akash Damodar 42’)
Kudlu picked up an important win over Garden Boys to move up the table to 5th in the standings. This win leaves them in a position to fight for a promotion spot with only 5 games to go. Garden Boys had a chance to move up the table too but this loss now leaves them closer to a relegation spot than a promotion spot. The first half was closely contested between the sides with neither able to break through on the attacking front although chances were aplenty.
Halftime saw changes from the Kudlu bench that turned the game in their favour. With a more attacking set up, they soon broke through and opened the scoring in the 35th minute thanks to a goal from Nikutten Neroth. Garden Boys didn’t back down and managed to convert one of the many chances they were presented with and forward Akash Damodar found the back of the net to put his side back on level terms.
Both teams were trying hard to go find the winner and just when the match seemed dusted and done Kudlu’s new signing Hemanth found Nishant Panwar who coolly slotted home the winner with a minute left to play. It was Hemanth’s second assist for the day and deservedly picked up the man of the match award.
All is not lost for Garden Boys who have picked up a respectable three wins in 7 matches in their first season in TAL but with the battle for relegation extremely tight they are only 3 points away from 11th placed Mercurial FC. A few wrong steps and they could find themselves in Division 3 next season while a few right ones could also see them in Division 1!
Kudlu have had a rollercoaster season so far but now find themselves within touching distance of a promotion spot, a chance they can’t waste. However, only wins from here on out will see them achieve that.
Man of the Match: Hemanth K (FC Kudlu)
Mercurial FC 3-5 Rebels FC
Scorers:
Mercurial FC (Akshat Chopra 17’,56’, Jashan Shetty 57’)
Rebels FC (Ranjan R 27’, Sanoj R 29’, Akheel R 31’, Riva Edjique 43’, Pavan K 52’)
The final match for Gameweek 7 saw Rebels pick up all three points against Mercurial FC. This win now sends Rebels into third place in the standings and are only four points league leaders Al-Fateh, who they play next week. A win for Mercurial would have lifted them out of the red zone but now they drop down to 11th although the goal difference between them and fifth placed Kudlu is only 5 points. This season, Division 2 teams are so close together in the standings that a win could move you up into battle for promotion while a loss could steer you down the danger path.
Mercurial started the game strongly and even managed to score the opener when forward Akshat Chopra found himself open in the box in find the back of the net. The game changed when Rebels made an early substitution to bring on super-sub Riva Edjique who seems to be thriving in his newfound role. With the strike presenting a threat up front the Mercurial defence was pushed back and three minutes before halftime Ranjan managed to find the equaliser for Rebels.
Mercurial switched off after that goal and let one more in two minutes later to end the half trailing 1 goal. That second goal was a morale booster for Rebels and they came charging out in the second half and immediately found a third goal to put the game to bed. The goals poured in in constant intervals and Man of the Match Riva Edjique helped himself to a goal before Pavan Kumar made it 5.
Mercurial did reduce the deficit with Akshat Chopra picking up his second for the night while Jashan Shetty added a third but they can be deemed consolation at the best. Mercurial have played better recently and hope is still alive for them as they look to avoid the drop in consecutive seasons.
Rebels’ strategy of using Riva Edjique as a Super-sub has worked so far but playing their best player for the full 60 might be necessary against the tougher opposition in the division. This win leaves Rebels with an outside shot at the title but they should be gunning for a promotion spot realistically.
Man of the Match: Riva Edjique (Rebels FC)
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