Kenkre FC go down to Delhi FC 0-1 in a close encounter

by Chittu Shetty October 15, 2021

An early goal by Laiwang Bohham turned out to be the difference as Delhi edged Kenkre FC 1-0 to top the group B table and continue their winning streak

Delhi FC have ended their Group stage campaign with a perfect 100 % win record, after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Kenkre FC in the final group game of Hero I-League Qualifiers 2021 at the Bangalore Football Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday (October 14, 2021).

With both sides having already qualified for the final round before the match got underway, neither side was willing to field their strongest lineup as both Delhi FC and Kenkre FC made several changes to their starting lineup from their respective last matches.

The match began with Delhi FC opening the scoring from the very first minute. After Fahad Temuri received the ball with his back to goal near the six-yard box, he swiveled and took on a shot which was brilliantly parried away by Kenkre goalkeeper Bishorjit Singh only for the ball to rebound back in to play from the frame of the goal. Laiwang Bohham was the quickest to react as he volleyed the ball into the unguarded net to register his second goal in this year’s Qualifiers.

A few minutes later, Delhi had another shot on goal when Simranjeet Singh attempted a shot from the edge of the box. However, Kenkre goalkeeper Bishorjit Singh had covered the angle well to grab the ball with both hands. As the game moved forward, chances came far and few as both teams looked well consolidating the midfield.

In the second half, Kenkre FC came out with intent and soon began to grow into the game. Around the hour mark, Kenkre had an excellent opportunity to go level when after winning the ball from Delhi FC in their own half, Kenkre FC produced a fast breakaway that led to a 3vs1 situation for them in attack however, skipper Yash Mhatre failed to test Delhi goalkeeper Suraj Mallick as his shot went wide..

With Kenkre FC beginning to threaten the slender one-goal advantage, Delhi FC made a string of substitutions in the following minutes, bringing on their prominent players in Nikhil Mali, Willis Plaza, and Anwar Ali. However, Kenkre FC were presented with another route back into the game in the 82^nd minute when Delhi FC club captain Anwar Ali was sent off with a straight red card for a foul on goalkeeper Bishorjit Singh. Anwar had charged towards the Delhi custodian chasing a cross ball from the wings but as the ball was easily latched on by Singh, Anwar ended barging into the custodian but with both his hands straight into the face of the goalkeeper. The dismissal means that Delhi FC’s lynchpin in defense will miss at least the first match in the final round.

With their one-man advantage for the remainder of the game, Kenkre FC saw more of the ball in the final third, but could not breach their opposition defense. Following the result, Delhi FC ends their group stage campaign at the top with 12 points whereas Kenkre wraps up with seven.

FT: Kenkre FC 0 – 1 Delhi FC (Laiwang Bohham 1’)