I-League: Rajasthan United thump Real Kashmir; Churchill draw with Namdhari

A three-pointer continued to elude leaders Churchill Brothers for the third time in a row as they played out a 1-1 draw with Namdhari FC in the 2024-25 I-League on Monday.

In a highly-anticipated match that didn’t quite spark as expected, Pape Gassama gave Churchill Brothers the lead in the 27th minute before Cledson Carvalho Dasilva scored the equaliser from the penalty spot in the second half.

With both teams in desperate need of points to fuel their title ambitions, it was Sayad Kadir’s heroics under the bar for Churchill that thwarted a second-half siege by Namdhari.

Both teams have been experiencing a dip in form recently, with Churchill now having drawn three consecutive matches – all of them from winning positions – while Namdhari extended their winless streak to four games.

It was a missed opportunity for Churchill Brothers to consolidate their lead at the top. The Red Machines still lead the table with 29 points from 16 matches with eight wins, five draws and three losses. Namdhari have slipped to fifth place with 23 points from 16 games.

The match kicked off with Churchill asserting dominance, commanding possession and pressing Namdhari into defensive disarray. Yet, despite their control, Churchill managed only a single goal in the first half.

Gassama’s strike gave them a momentary edge, but Namdhari’s defence, anchored by the composed Ghanaian Lamine Moro, kept further threats at bay, neutralising top scorers like Wayde Lekay and Sebastian Gutiérrez.

Namdhari, largely passive in the first half, transformed after the break, increasing the tempo and pinning Churchill back into their own half.

The pressure mounted until the 68th minute when a shot from Francis Addo struck Churchill defender Lalbiakhlua’s outstretched arm in the penalty box. Cledson stepped up to the spot and made no mistake, drilling the ball home to level the scores and notch his tenth goal of the season.

The momentum firmly shifted towards Namdhari as they continued to push for a winner.

Kadir, however, stood firm, producing crucial saves from Bhupinder Singh’s cross and Dharmpreet Singh’s header. His finest moments came late in the game, denying Cledson a second goal and subsequently thwarting Akashdeep Singh’s attempt from a corner.

Churchill Brothers had chances to snatch a late victory, with Stendly Fernandes and Trijoy Dias forcing Namdhari goalkeeper Jaspreet Singh into action in the closing moments. Despite these efforts, the game concluded at 1-1.

Rajasthan United beat Real Kashmir

Rajasthan United kept up their upward charge through the table with a 4-0 win over Real Kashmir in a thoroughly emphatic performance at the Vidyadhar Nagar Stadium on Monday.

The game was decided essentially in the first 32 minutes in which the Desert Warriors scored three goals.

Rajasthan United took their tally to 24 points and rose to fourth place, their highest so far in the season. Meanwhile, Real Kashmir suffered a blow to their title chances as they remained on 26 points and slipped to third place, three points behind leaders Churchill Brothers.

It was the Snow Leopards’ heaviest I-League defeat since March 2022 when they were beaten 5-1 by Gokulam Kerala FC.

In an utterly dominant first half performance, Rajasthan United pressured Real Kashmir’s defence from the outset. Playing out from the back, they constantly drew Kashmir’s players forward before exploiting the gaps and hitting them at pace.

When the first goal did arrive, in the 13th minute, it wasn’t a surprise, even if the visitors would’ve been disappointed with the defending.

William Pauliankhum’s cross from the left curled into the box and was chested down by Maicol Cabrera into the path of Alain Oyarzun. The Spaniard duly smashed the ball in from the inside the six-yard box to open the scoring.

Almost straight from the restart, Rajasthan added a second. With Kashmir saddled on their heels in defence, Cabrera took the ball from Aminou Bouba, charged into the box and scored his first of the match.

The Snow Leopards were rattled, and Rajasthan could have easily added many more if not for some brave goalkeeping by Syed Zahid Hussain Bukhari.

Even the goalkeeper though could do nothing about Rajasthan’s third in the 33rd minute – a sure-shot contender for one of the goals of the season.

With his back to goal, Cabrera chested a lobbed cross from the right, up before unleashing a perfect bicycle kick into the bottom corner of the goal. Rajasthan would’ve been sad to see the half end, and Kashmir, rushed inside glad to be rid of it.

The visitors put up a braver rearguard action in the second half, restricting Rajasthan to pot shots from distance and even going to the extent of turning the game into a bruising encounter.

While they did little going forward, at least the leaks had stopped. That was until injury time, when Muhammad Hammad’s weak clearance from a low cross was smashed in by substitute Gauram Virwani.