Indian Navy FT Bounce Back with Convincing Win Over NEROCA FC

by Chandler D'silva August 6, 2026

Indian Navy Football Team returned to winning ways in the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup with a disciplined 2-0 victory over NEROCA FC in a Group D encounter at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium on Wednesday. Goals from Roshan Panna and E. Muhammed Inayath ensured the Sailors secured their first three points of the campaign, producing a composed display at both ends of the pitch to climb to second place in the group standings.

After suffering defeat in their opening fixture, Indian Navy entered the contest determined to respond positively, while NEROCA FC looked to build on their encouraging start. The match began at a high tempo, with both teams pressing aggressively and battling fiercely in midfield. Challenging ground conditions made fluent football difficult, resulting in a tightly contested opening where neither side was able to dominate possession.

NEROCA came close to opening the scoring midway through the first half after a clever move involving Ngathem Imarson Meitei and Modou Mbengue. The Senegalese forward burst into the penalty area before attempting to square the ball across goal, but his delivery was just beyond the reach of David Singh. Mbengue also tested goalkeeper Bhaskar Roy from distance, though the Indian Navy custodian dealt comfortably with the effort.

The breakthrough arrived midway through the opening half through a moment of quality from the Sailors. Vijay Marandi floated a perfectly weighted chipped pass over the NEROCA defence for Roshan Panna, who showed great composure to round goalkeeper Penand Singh before calmly finishing into an empty net to hand Indian Navy a deserved lead.

The Sailors controlled proceedings for the remainder of the first half, keeping possession well and preventing NEROCA from creating meaningful opportunities. The hosts were largely restricted to crosses from wide areas, all of which were comfortably dealt with by the Navy defence as the visitors carried a 1-0 advantage into the break.

Indian Navy continued to dictate the tempo after the restart, moving the ball confidently through midfield and creating another promising opportunity when Zahir Khan released Vijay Marandi inside the box. However, the forward dragged his effort wide of the target.

Their persistence was rewarded just after the hour mark through an inspired piece of individual brilliance from E. Muhammed Inayath. The midfielder danced past two defenders before driving towards the byline and attempting a cross. Instead, the ball looped over the backtracking goalkeeper and nestled into the far corner, doubling Indian Navy’s advantage in spectacular fashion.

NEROCA pushed forward in search of a way back into the contest and enjoyed a few promising moments late in the game. Substitute Sridarth Nongmeikapam squandered a golden opportunity from close range following a goalmouth scramble, while Chabungbam Linky Meitei also failed to hit the target after finding space inside the penalty area.

At the other end, Indian Navy looked dangerous on the counterattack, with substitute Pangambam Naoba Meitei causing constant problems down the right flank. The youngster nearly added a third goal himself before creating another chance for Sreyas V.G., only for Penand Singh to produce two outstanding saves in quick succession.

Indian Navy comfortably managed the closing stages to seal a deserved 2-0 victory and bounce back strongly from their opening defeat. The result lifts the Sailors to second place in Group D and gives them valuable momentum heading into their remaining fixtures, while NEROCA FC will look to recover quickly as they continue their search for a first win of the campaign.

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