Rajasthan United FC downed Madan Maharaj FC with the help of two late goals from Surag Chettri and Harpreet Singh to secure a 2-0 victory in the Hero I-League Qualifiers final round match here at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Wednesday (October 20, 2021).

The win gives Rajasthan United six points from their first two matches in the final round, placing the side in pole position to secure the coveted Hero I-League spot with Kenkre FC close behind on four points. With no points on the board in the finals so far, Madan Maharaj FC have been eliminated from Hero I-League contention.

The first chance of the afternoon fell Madan Maharaj FC’s way as striker Biren Rai closed down goalkeeper Vishal Joon but his shot went off target. After a quiet opening spell in the game, the match suddenly sprung into life after the 15th minute mark as both sides were on the receiving end of a flurry of chances.

MMFC created another chance from a corner which was played short and worked well between the trio of Mehtab Hossain, Siam Hanghal and Bishnu Bordoloi. Bordoloi played a cross into the far post which found the unmarked Loveday Okechukwu but to no avail.

In the 17th minute, Harmanjot Singh’s shot from over 35 yards missed the top corner by a whisker. RUFC came close again in the 19th minute as winger Aman Thapa’s cross from the right was missed by Akeem Abioye.

After the change of ends at half time, RUFC immediately put the ball in the back of the net through winger Dilli Ram Sanyasi. After some neat interplay between Aman Thapa and Akeem Abioye, Akeem squared the ball inside the box and found Dilli Ram, but the latter’s goal was disallowed as he was judged offside.

Vishal Joon was called into action once again in the 77th minute when veteran MMFC right back Abhishek Das set off on a mazy run, chopping infield and then out before unleashing a fierce drive to produce an acrobatic save from the RUFC shot stopper.

In the 81st minute, Monotosh tackled the ball away from Harpreet, Surag Chettri latched onto the loose ball and drilled a grounded shot towards the MMFC goal. His shot lacked power and was comfortably held by Abhishek Calvin.

RUFC finally brought an end to the stubborn Madan Maharaj resistance in the 88th minute through a well-worked team goal. Akeem Abioye chipped in a precise lob into the box for striker Harpreet Singh, who selflessly chested the ball into the path of the oncoming Surag Chettri, who made no mistake with the finish this time around. Abhishek Calvin got a hand onto Surag Chettri’s finish, but could not keep the ball from rolling into the back of the net.

RUFC doubled their lead in the dying embers of the game after some fantastic individual work from substitute Raja Musharaf. Raja crawled out of a tight space and emerged with the ball from the near the corner flag on the right flank to dash towards goal and play in his teammate Harpreet Singh. Harpreet could no mistake from the six yard box with the amount of time he was afforded, and he calmly finished at the near post to put the game to bed for Rajasthan United FC.

Rajasthan United FC will now take on Kenkre FC in the decider for the Hero I-League Qualifiers, with the odds in favour of RUFC, for whom only a draw will suffice, whereas Kenkre FC must secure all three points to seal their place in Hero I-League 2021-22.

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Also Read: Draw against Delhi FC keeps Kenkre’s I-League hopes alive

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Ryntih SC will take on Madan Maharaj FC in Group A of the Hero I-League Qualifiers 2021 as we move towards the business end of the group stage matches. Ryntih SC will be keen to get their first points on the board after failing to win their first match, while Madan Maharaj FC will look to add to their solitary point after earning a draw in their opening encounter. The match will be played here at the Bangalore Football Stadium on October 11, 2021 at 3:45 PM IST.

Ryntih SC head coach Khlain Syiemlieh reflected on his side’s performance in their opening match against Rajasthan United where his side produced a late surge to score two goals, but eventually faced a 3-2 defeat. Khlain expressed that he was disappointed not to get at least a point for his team’s efforts, but he commended the spirited performance from his wards as they nearly came back from three goals down to get a result.

Looking ahead, Khlain remained optimistic of his side’s chances of progressing further from the first group stage by finishing amongst the top two teams in the group A. The task has been cut out for Ryntih SC, as they will come up against Madan Maharaj FC in tomorrow’s contest. Khlain said in the pre match press conference, “We are very happy with our preparation for the upcoming match as we have had a week to prepare for it. We will look to build on the performance that we showed towards the end of our last game and perform consistently at that level, as we know we are capable of that.”

An interesting development in the Ryntih SC camp ahead of tomorrow’s match will be a change of leadership on the field, as Meban Wahlang will be donning the captain’s armband against Madan Maharaj. Head coach Khlain went on to explain that Ryntih SC has frequently chosen to rotate captaincy as a matter of the team’s principle, and it was not a personal decision to take the armband away from Banpynkhrawnam Nongkhlaw.

Skipper Meban Wahlang expressed that he is ready to lead the side in their quest for the three points tomorrow. He said, “I am happy and eager to be named the captain for tomorrow’s match as I like to take on this responsibility at an important time for the club. The boys want to come out strongly tomorrow and get the three points, as we want to improve our result from the previous outing.”

Madan Maharaj FC head coach Amit Jaiswal oversaw his side’s exhilarating 3-3 draw against FC Bengaluru United in their opening match. Jaiswal was disappointed not to walk away with the full three points from his side’s first match. The coach felt that his side had done enough to warrant a win. However, they squandered a two goal lead in the second half to allow their opponents a way back into the contest. The Madhya Pradesh based team thought they grabbed the eventual winner in the 94^th minute, only to be pegged back again through an equaliser 10 seconds later. Jaiswal believes that his side will learn a lesson from that topsy-turvy encounter, and look to implement a more clinical approach in the next match.

Speaking about Madan Maharaj’s talismanic striker Shubham Bhowmick, Jaiswal heaped praise on his frontman. He spoke about his side’s tactical setup in the pre-match press conference. Jaiswal said, “Of course, our strategy will differ slightly from opponent to opponent, but our key strengths are that we have a striker who can hold up play very effectively. Shubham (Bhowmick) is a confident lad, he’s young and we are all pretty sure that he will be nurtured into an even better player in the future. It is good to have a striker who can lead the line alone up front and cause problems to the opposition defence, particularly if they are uncomfortable in dealing with long balls over the top.”

Experienced goalkeeper Shayan Roy gave an insight into the team’s thinking over how they are approaching their maiden Hero I-League Qualifiers campaign as they push towards booking their place into the Final round. Shayan said, “We are taking things match by match at the moment. We are not focusing on the other teams in the group or looking at the table currently. Our focus is very clearly on what we need to do, and following the coaching staff’s instructions on how to move forward one game at a time.”

“Ryntih SC are a good team, and we have to give them their due respect. We will have to play a very good match against them to emerge with three points, and that is what we are focussing on. It will be a good competition when we play against Ryntih,” Shayan added.

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All thanks to goals from Azfar Noorani in the 14^th minute and Yash Mhatre’s strike in the 67^thminute that ensured Kenkre FC’s successive wins in Pool B.

With this win, Kenkre FC has ended ARA FC’s hopes of making it to the Hero I-League. ARA FC is now at the bottom of the Group-B table; they started their campaign with a 1-1 draw against debutants Corbett FC and, in their second clash, they lost by three goals to nil to Delhi FC.

Although ARA FC had a great start in the match, Kenkre turned the tables on the 14^th minute when Ranjit Singh Pandre made a perfect cross pass to Azfar Noorani, who then shot the ball with accuracy into the net, leaving no chance for the ARA FC goalkeeper Shubham Rajeshkumar Chauhan to stop the ball.

Just before the first-half whistle, ARA created a fantastic chance when Rana gave an exceptional pass to Saurabh Maheshwari. Still, ultimately Maheshwari couldn’t convert it as Kenkre’s goalie Tenzin was at his best. The first half ended 1-0 in Kenkre’s favour.

In the second half, even though ARA had more control on possession, Kenkre’s discipline to convert the chances they get helped to net the ball again on the 67^thminute. Substitute midfielder Yash Mhatre scored the goal.

After Kenkre’s second goal, ARA immediately started to create chances and dominate the game, which helped them score a goal in the 70^th minute by Dahir Bala Alhassan.

ARA tried hard to make a comeback, and created a lot of chances till the very last minute but it wasn’t just enough to stop Kenkre from taking away 3 points home!

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ARA FC has earned only one point in their last two games, and hence this will be a must-win match for them to survive in the league. They managed a 1-1 draw against newcomers Corbett FC in their opening clash and lost 0-3 against Delhi FC in the next.

“It will be a very important match for us. Definitely, the next two matches are must-win games. If we get three points against Kenkre on Saturday, then we are still in the race. It is a very crucial game,” said Mr Vivek Nagul, Head coach ARA FC in a pre-match press conference.

On the other side, Kenkre FC had a fantastic start to their season, after they made a comeback against Kerala United and won the game by 2-1. Kenkre’s Head Coach Mr Akhil Kothari told, “It was good to win against Kerala United, and the players are carrying the confidence from that win. But it is important for us not to get complacent and take one-match-at-a-time. We just feel every team has their strengths and weaknesses, and for us, it’s about capitalising on the opponent’s weak point and deliver our best football.”

Kothari focused more on sticking to their plans and respecting every opponent they will face ahead. “Every team in the tournament is a tough opponent, and we can’t take anyone lightly. Our plans are different for every team, but the approach is the same to progress in the tournament.”

Both the teams can be in a comfortable position if they win this contest! If Kenkre wins, they have the chance to extend their lead with 6 points and stay on the top, whereas ARA FC can look for third-place after a win.

This Group B game between ARA FC and Kenkre FC will be streamed live on the Hero I-League official Facebook page from 3.45 PM IST.

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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.

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The second match in Group A saw a faceoff between Rajasthan United FC (RUFC) and FC Bengaluru United (FCBU) at the Bangalore Football Stadium today.

A back and forth game between both teams saw Bengaluru United enjoy a solid first half, while the team from Rajasthan came back in the second period to draw level by outplaying their opponents for a large part of the game. The match finished 1-1, with FCBU defender Kinshuk Debnath facing ejection after a red card in the 86th minute.

The match began with both teams feeling each other out in the first ten minutes, but Bengaluru United started to grow more into the game progressively as they got hold of more of the ball. As Bengaluru United looked to build out from the back, the team looked confident of looking after the ball and using the whole length and breadth of the pitch.

Rajasthan United looked to follow a set game plan which showed signs of a strategy that involved keeping the score at 0-0 in the opening period and not conceding an early goal. As the game progressed RUFC dug in and gave a good account of themselves against difficult opposition. They looked to attack Bengaluru United with long vertical passes to transition from defence into attack at high speed. RUFC had some promising moments where it looked like they could release either winger; Dilliram Sanyasi or Aman Thapa, but they lacked the final quality of pass that would have put the wingers through on goal.

The game moved in ebbs and flows early on, and sprung into life towards the latter end of the first half. FCBU’s fancied Spanish striker Pedro Manzi began to get a look of more of the ball in promising situations in the opponent’s half. However, it was his strike partner Luka Majcen who had the first real chance of the game, as FCBU winger Gopi flighted in a looping cross from the right wing which was met by the late-arriving Slovenian, who produced a first time volley towards the near post. The shot was saved with an agile dive towards the ball by goalkeeper Vishal Joon.

The breakthrough came in the 41st minute of the game from an FCBU set piece opportunity. After winning a free kick in a promising position on the left flank, Sanju Pradhan delivered a precise cross which was directed goalwards by Luka Majcen. After Vishal Joon saved the initial attempt, Pedro Manzi followed up to finish the rebound by putting the ball high into the roof of the net. This came as the former Hero I-League Golden Boot winner’s first goal of HILQ 2021.

RUFC looked to direct its attack on the Bengaluru United goal through their wings, with their wide players looking the most likely to find an opening. At the stroke of half time, RUFC built a well coordinated move up the pitch which saw all their attacking players combine smoothly. They could not find a scoring opportunity, but the play must have given the team an understanding of how to approach the second half.

Ten minutes after the restart, RUFC came agonisingly close to scoring an equalising goal from a set piece of their own this time. As Aman Thapa delivered a fantastically shaped cross towards the 6 yard box, it was begging for a final touch from an RUFC player to put the ball home. Instead, the ball bounced out tantalisingly for another corner kick.

Much like proceedings in the first half, the game went through a lull for a brief period, before springing back into action when Rajasthan United equalised through their striker Sukhjit Singh in the 78th minute. The goal came from a move that was begun by Aman Thapa, as the Rajasthan United number 7 seemed to cause Bengaluru United’s backline all sorts of trouble. He combined well to drive the ball up the field and feed Sukhjit Singh, who came onto his left foot to take a shot that took a wicked deflection off an FCBU player, leaving goalkeeper Kunzang Bhutia completely wrong footed. RUFC got the slice of luck with the deflection, but the side richly deserved their goal for their thorough domination throughout the second half.

The restored parity set up an exciting end to the game for the final few minutes, but things turned from bad to worse for FCBU when veteran centre back Kinshuk Debnath got a red card for hampering an opposition player when he was through on goal. From the resultant free kick within range of goal, Aman Thapa drew a smart save from keeper Kunzang Bhutia, who tipped a fierce shot over the bar.

Down to 10 men, FCBU looked to not only protect their one point, but also made efforts to grab all three through opportunistic attempts of their own.

Pedro Manzi got a half chance from a near post header, which drew a reaction save from Vishal Joon, who steered the danger clear. The match finished with both teams having their respective strong phases in the game, which eventually led to them cancelling each other out.

Rajasthan United remain in a favourable position on top of Group A with four points from two matches, while FC Bengaluru United have ground to make up.

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With the Hero I-League qualifiers approaching rapidly, Kenkre FC head coach, Akhil Kothari, has suggested that it has been a difficult time for the players preparing for the tournament. “As competitive football has not yet resumed in Mumbai, we did visit Hyderabad for a short preparatory camp. We have played a couple of practice matches in our build up for the qualifiers. It’s not an idle situation but our efforts and intentions have always been progressive and positive as a Club.”

Founded in 2000 under the patronage of former national level footballer and coach Mr. Adib Kenkre, the community-based club has always had the vision to promote youth and guide the players to the pinnacle of the game in India. They will now be looking to establish their presence at the biggest stage as they aim to earn promotion to the Hero I-League.

A club that identifies themselves with giving opportunities to youngsters, Kenkre FC are certainly doing their part in this process. With teams competing across India right from the youngest age groups, Kenkre FC have now established a team in the Indian Women’s League as well. This has been achieved through organizing tournaments, football festivals, elite youth competitive matches, football clinics and also tournaments for children in various NGOs across the city.

In a squad brimming with talent, Kothari is happy with the options that he has going into the tournament as well. He said, “Our team comprises a mix of local talent and talents from across the country. We have assembled a talented competitive squad who will aim to leave their mark and showcase themselves in a positive manner.” The bio-bubble presents its own challenges but the coach is not worried about that. “Sport, in general, teaches you to overcome many challenges in life. The bio-bubble is just another challenge. There is a lot of emphasis on team-building activities as we look forward to having a good Hero I-League Qualifiers 2021 campaign.”

Kenkre FC Captain, Yash Mhatre, observed that there is a buoyant mood around the team.

“The mood amongst the squad is upbeat and positive. Our squad comprises of young talented players, and they are determined to make the most out of this opportunity.”

Mhatre went on to say that the ambition of the club and the players was very clear. “We have come to compete in the HILQ with the intention to earn promotion. Mumbai, despite of its huge football fan-base, doesn’t have a team playing in the Hero I-League. We want to make the state of Maharashtra proud and earn promotion, which will inspire budding players from our State to compete at the top level.”

Kenkre FC will kick-off their Hero I-League Qualifier campaign on October 5, 2021 against Kerala United FC at 12.30 PM (IST).

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