Both teams will be keen to register their first win of the competition, as KUFC will want to set the record straight following their 1-2 defeat against Kenkre FC in their opening match. Although Corbett FC managed to open their account in the points tally following a draw against ARA FC in their first game, the Uttarakhand side would like to go one better and secure a win this time around.

Kerala United FC head coach Bino George was left ruing the missed opportunities in his team’s opening encounter against Kenkre FC. Although his side turned in a performance which they can take positives from, Kerala United’s lack of sharpness in front of goal is something that George will look to set right in subsequent matches.

Speaking at a virtual press conference before the match tomorrow, George said, “We did not play badly last time around, but we were not clinical in front of goal. We have to rectify that in the next game, and that is what we are working towards. We will have some more players available for our next match, including Arjun (KUFC Captain), so we are prepared to go all out for the win.”

George stated that the team composition for Kerala United is to his liking, and the team will be strengthened by the availability of some players who missed out on their opening game due to injury. He said, “We have a really young team with players around the age of 20 and 22, so we will learn from these experiences and get better. After the match, we have had team meetings and regained our focus on the road ahead. Arjun Jayaraj coming back into the team is also a positive, as we play much better with him on the pitch.”

Team captain Arjun Jayaraj missed the first match due to injury, but is itching to get back on the field and help his team get all three points in their outing against Corbett FC. He said, “We are disappointed as a team from the first game, but that is behind us now and our focus is fully on the task ahead. We want to go out and give our best tomorrow.”

Corbett FC plied their trade in the Uttarakhand state league and the I-League 2^nd Division. Head Coach Caetano Pinho admitted that the Hero I-League Qualifiers are a competitive affair, and Corbett FC will need to rise to the occasion in order to give a good account of themselves in the tournament.

Pinho said in a pre-match press conference that Corbett FC has made adjustments to compete at this level. He said, “We have revamped the team so that we can compete at this level. The mood in the dressing room is positive after our first match. We have a couple of minor injuries from the game, but overall, the mood in the dressing room is to focus on the objective, which is to qualify for the I-League.”

Pinho remained upbeat and confident that his wards can unlock their potential and perform at a higher level in the upcoming matches, after a performance that calmed their nerves against ARA FC. He said, “I am confident that our levels will improve in the next matches. It is our debut at this stage, so it was important to get the first match out of the way and get a point from that game. Now that the players know what they can expect from this competition, I think we will take more confidence into our next matches and perform better. Even before I could speak to the team about a post-match analysis, the players themselves identified where they need to improve and had a chat with me. That was a very positive sign for me.”

The Group B encounter between Kerala United FC and Corbett FC will be streamed live on the Hero I-League’s official Facebook page.

CREDITS- AIFF MEDIA

For Trial related updates: Latest trials updates in Mumbai Football

Also Read: Kenkre FC kicks off I league Qualifiers Campaign on a winning note

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest happenings in the world of Indian football

The post Kerala United FC take on Corbett FC in search for first points in Hero I-League Qualifiers appeared first on Football Counter.

A late surge by ARA FC spoilt the party for debutants Corbett FC who looked poised to take home three points in the Pool B game at the ongoing Hero I-League Qualifiers 

It was a well-timed assist from Dieye Hamiddu to Vladislav Nuriev who scored the equalizer in the 75th minute that ended the hard-fought contest in a draw.  

Earlier in the game, Corbett FC hardly wore the look of a debutant team as they kicked off their campaign with a structured attack. They created potential scoring opportunities within the first three minutes of the game putting the right amount of pressure on the ARA FC defense. 

Building on a strong attack, Corbett FC drew first blood in the 16th minute when a cross by Jacob Vanlalhimpuia was picked up beautifully by Himanshu Patil who made no mistake in putting the ball past ARA FC goalkeeper Sukhadev Shivaji Patil. The 1-0 lead gave Corbett FC just the kind of start they were looking for in their maiden appearance and this totally put the ARA FC on the backfoot who desperately vied for those elusive goals in the following minutes.  

Young goalkeeper for Corbett FC Dhiraj Prakash Meher was excellent in his saves to keep his team in the game. During the course of the game, Corbett FC’s Navin Rawat, Subodh Kumar and Sohail T took a shot on goal each while Himanshu had three to his name with the last one coming in the dying minutes of the game but his attempt was slightly off the mark.  

Although behind by a goal, ARA FC made a valiant attempt on goal in the 21st minute when Omkar Shivaji More did well to get past Corbett FC defenders to assist Alen Deory who put the ball into the net but an off-side call by the referee denied them the equalizer.  

In the following minutes, both teams tried to play through the middle and keep the ball, the midfielders of both sides were working hard to win the ball back for their respective teams time and time again. Corbett FC’s star striker Himanshu created yet another fantastic opportunity for his team in the 32nd minute, but his cut-back for Navin Rawat was not capitalized upon. With a defender racing behind him, Rawat’s shot went way off target.   

Overall, the first half was well-contested by both teams. While the newcomers did well to take the lead, ARA FC dominated the proceedings with better ball possession and took six shots on target but failed to convert. 

At halftime, Corbett remained in 1-0 lead with ARA FC hunting for an equaliser. In the second half, however, ARA FC made amends to their poor start as they stitched together an improvised attack and kept the Corbett strikers at bay.  They continued to hold on to the ball and made space in the middle to create scoring opportunities.  

While the ARA FC star striker took eight shots on goal, Alen Deory and Omkar took three shoots on goal each, while Bala and Tigga took two each. But their breakthrough came in the 75th minute after a clever substitution was made by Coach Vivek Nagul. Nuriev ran onto a cheeky pass by Dieye Hamidou, and slotted it into the back of the net.

Though the side from Ahmedabad mounted a late charge to earn the three points, the match ended with a 1-1 scoreline, with both the teams sharing the spoils.

In their next match, Corbett FC will face Kerala United, while ARA FC will face Delhi FC on 7th October 2021.

Corbett FC (Himanshu Patil 15′) 1 – 1 ARA FC (Vladislav Nuriev 75′)

The post Nuriev’s late strike puts breaks on Corbett FC’s dream debut appeared first on Football Counter.