I-League: Namdhari Stun Neroca FC, Sreenidi grabs crucial three points

Amey's last-minute goal gave Namdhari FC full points

Debutants Namdhari Football Club registered their third win in the I-League 2023-24 when they edged past NEROCA FC 3-2 at the Namdhari Stadium on Wednesday.

They were leading 2-1 at the half time following the goal of Akashdeep Singh, Harmanpreeth Singh. This was Neroca's fifth consecutive defeat in the season.

Both Namdhari FC and NEROCA FC are struggling in the ongoing league and languishing at 11th and 12th positions, respectively. While the win on Wednesday gave Namdhari a sense of relief, it didn’t make their position any more comfortable in the league table.

After the win over NEROCA, the home side are still in the 11th position, though their points tally has gone up to 12 from 13 matches. NEROCA FC are currently staring at relegation, having collected only seven points from 12 matches. The last time Namdhari won a match was on December 17 last year, a 2-1 victory over TRAU FC.

Against Namdhari, however, NEROCA FC came close to snatching a point till a last-minute goal by substitute Amey Bhatkal did the good turn for the hosts. For NEROCA, Sajal Bag and Mohammad Sarif Khan were the two goal scorers.

Sreenidi Deccan close gap at the top with resounding win

Sreenidi Deccan closed the gap on Mohammedan Sporting at the top of the I-League table, with a comfortable 3-0 victory against bottom-dwellers TRAU FC at the Deccan Arena in Hyderabad.

The Hyderabad-based side’s Nigerian midfielder Rilwan Hassan and Colombian forward Juan Castaneda were at the heart of the performance, netting a goal apiece in the first half, while substitute Brandon Vanlalremdika added a third in second-half injury time, to make it 3-0 for the hosts.

While Sreenidi Deccan had experienced somewhat of a slip in the earlier part of the season, Mohammedan Sporting’s recent losses after the restart of the I-League meant that the Deccan Warriors have roared back in the title race.

They currently standing on the second position in the league-table with 26 points from 13 matches, five points behind the Black and White Brigade, with a game in hand.

TRAU FC, on the other hand, remained rooted to the bottom of the league table with seven points from 13 matches. They are locked in a relegation battle with their rivals from across the down, NEROCA FC, who earlier suffered a 2-3 defeat at the hands of Namdhari FC. Both the Imphal sides remain on the same number of points for now.