Indian Navy has had a good start to their Durand 2021 Campaign with a 2-1 win over Delhi FC in a hard fought encounter in their opening Group C game.

 The Sailormen made a comeback after giving away an early lead courtesy a 21st minute goal by Willis Plaza. Goals by forward Shreyas V.G. and a towering header from defender Dalraj Singh in the 86th minute made the difference for the Indian Navy team.

With a more potent opponent in front of them in next encounter in the form of Kerala Blasters Indian Navy looks at an uphill task. Speaking before the match, Team Coach of Indian Navy Football Team, Abhilash Vasantha said, “It is a very important game for us as Kerala Blasters is a very strong outfit and are fielding a full strength squad.”

 Vasantha also commented on the two day gap before their game against Kerala Blasters and said, “It’s very difficult to play after a 2 days gap in such humid conditions. But my boys are ready for the big match. Hope some of my boys will join after injury. The match will be thrilling 90 mins and we will fight to get the 3 points.”

 Kerala Blasters FC on the other hand will be playing their first match of the tournament and by the looks of it they are one of the strongest teams in the competition with a host of major Indian names like Albino Gomes, Prabhsukhan Gill, Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh, Rahul KP, Harmanjot Khabra and Bhutan’s star forward Chencho Gyeltshen amongst others forming the core of the team.

 Speaking about the encounter, Kerala Blasters FC, Coach, Ivan Vukomanovic said, “We don’t have any special plans for them. We are in our pre-season preparation period for the ISL. We are focused on ourselves.”

 Top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter finals scheduled to kick-off from September 23, 2021.

CREDITS- DURAND CUP MEDIA

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In the semi-finals, Indian Navy defeated Central Bank of India (CBI) 5-4 on penalties, whereas, Western Railway edged past Mumbai Strikers 1-0, courtesy of Lineker Machado’s strike which set up an Indian Navy and Western Railway final, yet again.

Indian Navy started off brilliantly. They could have scored within five minutes itself when Lalchhumawia found Hari Krishna with a pinpoint long ball, the latter setup Bipaka Thapa who hit his effort just wide of the right-hand side post.

Four minutes later, the defending champions finally opened the scoring through Britto PM. The number 9 superbly lobbed over Western Railway Goalkeeper Jagroop Singh to put Navy in front.

A few minutes later, Lalchhumawia setup Hari Krishna who made no mistake as he slots past Jagroop to make it 2-0 inside the first twenty minutes of the final. The holders went into the break with two goals advantage.

In the second-half, Western Railway dominated their counterparts for the first ten minutes. They soon cut short the deficit through Somi PT’s deflected goal. Striker Reuben D’Souza rolled the ball towards Lineker Machado whose powerful shot was saved by Vishnu V.K, only to fell in Somi’s path. The midfielder deflected shot went past the hapless goalkeeper as Western Railway finally scored.

But Navy came back strong. Britto PM assisted Benno which made it 3-1 just before Biplab assisted Sarbjith Singh to increase their lead by three goals. Western Railway started to crumble in front of a brilliant Indian Navy side.

The fifth and final goal was, unfortunately, an own goal when Western Railway’s defender Raju Singh found his own net.

In the end, it was Indian Navy who comprehensively manage to defend their title. Their 4th title in last five editions. For his spectacular performance, Navy’s Britto PM was adjudged as the player of the tournament.

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It was a reminiscent of last year’s Independence Cup when the match had to be separated via penalties. Ravikant Naidu opened the scoring through a spectacular volley in the 16th minute, it was undoubtedly one of the best goals of the Tournament.

Indian Navy fought back through Anoop Pauly’s goal in the 26th minute. Both the team had their chances but couldn’t convert it.

Just before Ravikant’s volley goal, teammate Merwin Stephen too tried from distance but his powerful volley was comfortably saved.  Indian Navy’s Abhishek Joshi suffered a horrible injury when he landed awkwardly on his right hand, he was straightaway substituted by the coach.

The match went into penalties where Indian Navy’s Bhaskar Roy made couple of tremendous saves.  Somi P.T missed a crucial penalty for Western Railways, and few minutes later Prabal penalty was brilliantly kept out by Bhaskar Roy.

Shahir stepped up for Indian Navy and converted it to win Independence Cup 2016 for his side. Captain Raman Rai received the glittering trophy to add yet another prestigious trophy in Indian Navy’s cabinet.

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Western Railway’s Saheb Singh opened the scoring on the 22nd minute, but Indian Navy soon qualized in the first-half through GTK Sharma.

A terrible goalkeeping error made both the outfit concede in the second-half as Somi and Lalchhuanmawia scored quick goals for Western Railway and Indian Navy respectively, leaving both the teams settling for a draw.

The Railways started off brightly with excellent passing and composure which started to pressurized Indian Navy.

Indian Navy’s Captain Raman Rai was booked early in the first-half for a mistimed challenge.

Western Railways kept pressing Indian Navy and in return almost opened the scoring.

Clayton found Kenistan unmarked and delivered a low cross towards the striker. Kenistan tried to slot his shot under the goalkeeper, but Vishnu somehow got a fingertip on it.

Indian Navy’s Raman Rai had a disappointing game. On the 22nd minute, Raman was dispossesed by Western Railway’s Striker Kenistan who rolled the ball towards winger Saheb Singh on the edge of the box.

Saheb turned towards the goal and curled a brilliant right footed shot into the top corner to give Western Railways a deserving lead.

Few minutes later, Clayton D’Souza could have doubled Western Railways lead. His powerful right footed shot whispered past the post.

With two minutes left for half-time, Indian Navy from nowhere equalized.

Lalchhuanmawia provided a glorious ball to GTK Sharma, who placed his left footed shot into the back of the net.

A minute later, Indian Navy could have got the lead but the number 9 Britto somehow blasted his effort over the bar from five yards.

In the second-half, two goalkeeping errors gifted both, Western Railways and Indian Navy a goal each.

With twenty minutes left on the clock, Western Railway’s Somil lashed a loose shot from 20 yards towards goalkeeper’s near post. Vishnu terribly parried it away which gave Western Railways a 2-1 lead.

Although a minuter later, same error occurred in the other half.

Lalchhuanmawia’s loose shot got the fingertip touch of Jagroop Singh and went in the back of the net to once again level the scores.

After the final whistle both the teams had to go away with only a point. This draw also stopped Indian Navy’s consecutive winning streak in the Elite division.

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ONGC playing their first game of the league, got off to a slow start as Indian Navy were out of the blocks quickly. ONGC goalkeeper Agulo Gomes was forced into action just three minutes into the game when he did brilliantly to come off his line and clear a long ball chased down by Indian Navy forward Bibake Thapa.

Indian Navy almost scored a minute later when when Bibake Thapa shot just over after meeting a cross from Vikramjeet Singh who was played in by the B.Thapa initially. The initial openings meant Indian Navy had wind in their sails as they worked the ball well in the opening twenty minutes of the game.

In the 24th minute, Indian Navy’s G.P Sharma send a half volley goalwards, but the shot was centimetres above the crossbar. It was a brilliant effort from the Indian Navy wide man.

Two minutes later, ONGC’s Kailash Patil replicated the attempt as he fired the shot over. It was ONGC’s first real endeavor at the Indian Navy goal. ONGC forced a brilliant save out of Bhaskar Roy in the 30th minute when Kailash Patil chested down a cross to fire goalwards from close range, but the Indian Navy goalkeeper was up to the mark.
ONGC were slowly getting into the game as they thought they took the lead on 33 minutes when ONGC put the ball in the net, but the goal was disallowed after the Indian Navy goalkeeper was fouled in the build up to it.

Although Indian Navy enjoyed most of the possession, ONGC managed to conjure up decent amount of chances for themselves as the half drew to a close with the game still deadlocked. ONGC’s Kilash Patil nearly put ONGC in front in the first minute of stoppage time as he fired a shot just over from the edge of the box.

It was goalless at half time in a game which the Indian Navy had edged in terms of possession, but there was a lack of penetration from both sides.

ONGC upped their game in the second half, matching Indian Navy’s vigor on the ball. They nearly profited ten minutes into the second period as Karan Atwal missed from close range as tried to steer a scuffed effort from Lavino Fernandes, who had initially latched on to a loose clearance from the Indian Navy defender to shoot.

ONGC were now the stronger force in the game, but it was Indian Navy who nearly scored against the run of play when a lofted cross from the right wing hit the crossbar only for the rebound to be cleared by the ONGC defence.
But that did not seem to deter ONGC who were growing in confidence as Karan Atwal’s vicious drive in the 73rd minute was acrobatically tipped over by Bhaskar Roy.

ONGC’s second half resurgence was rewarded in the 78th minute when newly introduced substitute Jatin Singh Bisht as he fired a free kick from just outside the box in off the post to give ONGC a deserved lead.

All of Indian Navy’s good work in the first half was undone as they stared at their second defeat in the league this season. But they had little more left in the locker as they equalized three minutes from time when ONGC goalkeeper Agulo Gomes horribly misjudged a cross from Akash Kamble which went straight in to bring Indian Navy level.

The goal gave Indian Navy the momentum as they pushed for the win in the dying minutes. Indian Navy forward Britto PM profited from a mix up in the ONGC defence only to send his shot wide. It was a good chance for Indian Navy to literally steal the three points off ONGC.

Neither could strike a killer blow as the referee signaled the end of the game as both teams had to settle for a point each. Considering the level of the opposition both teams would be fairly satisfied with a point.

It was a game of two halves as Indian Navy edged the first one, while ONGC had the better of the second one. So overall, the draw seemed to be a fair reflection of the afternoon’s action.

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The final was set to be a spectacle with the two best teams on paper making it through to the final. Off the field, India’s Special child, Sita Sahu, a two time Olympic bronze medalist graced the event with her presence before kick off as she took a photograph with the team amidst a standing ovation from a huge crowd assembled at the RCF Sports Complex. A proud moment for every sports lover to see such a great achiever so well applauded.

On field action started with the game being played at a very quick pace. Both the teams were up for the task, fresh from their semi-final wins and the assembled crowd were in for a treat.

In the 6th minute, the inform Air India midfielder Vijith Shetty broke free to drive at the Indian Navy defence, but his shot hit the side netting. Four minutes later, Indian Navy front man G. Priyokumar Sharma was played in on the flank as his cross was well blocked by the Air India defence.

Air India goalkeeper Vian Joseph is called into action he makes brilliant save at full stretch to tip over a G. Priyokumar Sharma’s shot. Three minutes later, it was Air India who tested the Indian Navy rearguard, as Sagar Chile drove at the heart of the Indian Navy defence. But the Indian navy defence had their answers.

Priyokumar Sharma of Indian Navy nearly profits as Vian Joseph comes off his line but fails to collect a long ball. He is bailed out by his defenders, who cleared the mess.

Indian Navy made the first substitution of the game, as they brought on Riyad B. in place of No. 9 Britto. In the first minute of two added time minutes, Sagar Chile earned a corner from which he got a great opportunity to score but he chose to pass instead of shooting and the chance was gone.

It was goalless at half time, but the half provided plenty of entertainment, thanks to the high tempo both teams were playing.

The second half started in similar fashion as Priyokumar Sharma’s effort in the 36th minute was saved by Vian Joseph. A minute later, Air India almost took the lead, through Vijith Shetty whose effort struck the upright after he met a cross from the right flank.

Air India took the lead in the 41st minute as Sagar Chile fired home in an open goal from close range after the ball had ricocheted in his path after Indian Navys’ goalkeeper saved Vijith Shetty’s goal bound shot. Air India had got the advantage in a tight game and were less than twenty minutes away from glory.

But the advantage was wiped away almost instantly when Indian Navy were awarded a penalty a minute later, which Sunil Kumar dispatched to bring us back to square one. The goals lifted the spirits of the crowd which was buzzing.

Air India’s Baldeep Singh saw his header saved well by the Indian Navy goalkeeper eight minutes from time, while two minutes later it was the Air India shot stopper who saw action when he tipped away a shot from G. Priyokumar Sharma. The spin on the ball made Vian Joseph’s work tougher than it would have been.

With penalties looming, Air India made a double change bringing on T. Johnychand Singh and Onkar Singh. The referee signaled for two minutes of stoppage time. In the first of those minutes, Vian Joseph made a brilliant save to deny Indian Navy from snatching it late on.

The referee blew for full time and the game was to be decided from ten yards.

Air India went first with Vijith Shetty putting them in front with a fine penalty in the bottom left corner. But Indian Navy leveled things up at 1-1 with Sunil Kumar slotting his kick in the bottom right corner.

Next up was late substitute Onkar Singh who stepped up and missed his spot kick. His misery was compounded when Riyaad B. dispatched his spot kick to pull Indian Navy in the lead.

T. Johnychand Singh levels the scores despite the keeper going in the right direction. Raman Rai get Indian Navy back in front as his kick is almost saved by Vian Joseph as he gets his toes to it.

Air India’s Askar C.V. blasted his penalty over after Indian Navy made a goalkeeping change. Air India made a change of their own in goal, as Vian Joseph made way for Siddharth Nayak who came in a situation where he had to deliver to keep his team alive and he did exactly that as he dived low to his left to save from the Indian navy skipper Akash Kamble.

Neil Gaikwad who was the last of the five kick takers stepped up for Air India and scored after he send the keeper the wrong way. The last man for the Indian Navy was Sumesh PS and Air India needed to stop this one from going in. Siddharth Nayak produced another save to his left as Air India dramatically came back into the game sending it to sudden death.

The hero for Air India himself stepped up and converted despite the goalkeeper getting his hand to it. The momentum had swung Air India’s way and the pressure was now on Indian Navy to convert to survive.

Striker G. Priyokumar Sharma did the needful as he scored in the top right corner. Vian Joseph put Air India ahead again only for the substitute keeper to hold his nerve and bring Indian Navy back into it.

Santosh Koli converted his penalty to give Air India a 6-5 lead in the shootout after he scored in the bottom left corner. Indian Navy failed to convert as No. 8 Anoop shot his kick over to spark celebrations in the Air India camp.

Air India overcame their disappointment of losing out in the Nadkarni Cup to lift the 6th RCF Premier Cup. Air India’s Vijith Shetty was adjudged at the ‘Player of the Tornament’ as he drove home a sparkling Hero Honda Shine motorbike.

Pradeep Kumar of Central Railways was the Best Goalkeeper, while Sumesh from the Indian Navy was awarded the Best Defender award. JP Sharma of Indian Navy was awarded the Best Forward and the outstation outfit P.T.M Kolhapur bagged the ‘Fairplay Award’.

Four days of great footballing action ended with Air India overcoming their final hoodoo to win the RCF Premier Cup after one of the most competitive finals in recent times.

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The game got off to a great start, as both teams played quick and slick football and were full of running. Indian Navy’s No.3 Sumesh, unleashed a venomous drive which was well collected by the Dilbahar goalkeeper.

Indian Navy started to get a grip on the game and had a good spell of possession as they moved the ball quickly, giving the Dilbahar rearguard plenty of problems.

Dilbahar finally cracked, as Indian Navy took the lead in the 9th minute through Priyokumar who gets a gift from the Dilbahar defender which he gladly accepts to put Indian Navy in front.

Indian Navy’s Sumesh nearly doubles the lead as his volley is inches wide after he connects to a cross from the left flank. Dilbahar defender is almost embarrassed as he nearly put the ball in his own net in the 17th minute after Indian Navy skipper Akash send a dangerous cross, across the face of the goal.

Indian Navy were bossing the game in terms of possession limiting Dilbahar’s goal mouth action. But Dilbahar’s Aniket Jadhav flicks on a goal kick to send forward Sachin Patil through on goal, but the Indian Navy keeper was alert of the danger and he collected the ball before Sachin Patil in the 21st minute.

The opening spurred on Dilbahar as they caught the Indian Navy backline sleeping. Javed Jamador sends in a beautiful cross from the left wing which is brilliantly finished by Aniket Jadhav to bring Dilbahar level.
The goal gave Dilbahar Kolhapur the impetus as they finished the half strongly. Despite being the better side, Indian Navy went into the break on equal terms, thanks to a moment of brilliance from Dilbahar.

Indian Navy started the second half with great swagger in their as it took them just four minutes to regain the lead as Priyokumar scores again after a delightful pass from No. 5 Raman from the right flank.

The duo combined again two minutes later, when Priyokumar’s flick went just over the crossbar. Indian Navy had stepped it up in the second half and Dilbahar Kolhapur needed to match that intensity.

Dilbahar managed to stay in the game after great goal mouth defending ensured the lurking Indian Navy forwards were denied a third goal in the 44th minute.

Dilbahar finally succumbed to the series of attacks seven minutes later when substitute Riyad made it 3-1 with an emphatic finish in the top corner. Indian Navy were firmly showcasing their superiority as they relentlessly attacked the Dilbahar goal with long spells of possession.

Riyad got his second of the night when curled past the Dilbahar goalkeeper after a great run to make it 4-1 in Indian Navy’s favor. The goal capped a fantastic second half display from the Indian Navy. But there was to be more attacks as No.6 Riyad nearly got his hat-trick after his ferocious strike was tipped over the bar in the 59th minute. A minute later, another substitute Bibak Thapa struck the crossbar with a header from a corner.

The referee drew Dilbahar out of their misery as he blew for full time without adding any stoppage time. Indian Navy were deserved winners as Dilbahar faced a long journey back home after a heavy defeat ended their challenge.
Indian Navy will face the Western Railways in the Quarter Finals later today at the RCF Sports Complex.

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The early minutes saw most of the game being played in the midfield as both teams fought hard for the ball. Mumbai kept up the pressure over the Indian Navy as they slowly started taking charge of the game, the first bit of goal mouth action came when a corner kick by Paresh Shivalkar found Kali Alaudeen in the box  but his header was easily dealt with by the Navy defence. In the 22nd minute, Josimar made his presence felt as he exhibited some great skills, true to his Brazilian roots, and went through on goal but fired a wayward shot.

Mumbai FC got their breakthrough in the 34^th minute when long throw specialist Rahul Bheke found Allan with a penetrating throw right into the Indian Navy box. Allan did well to flick the ball to Josimar, who hung the ball in the air for incoming Kali Alaudeen who leapt high to score his header. Mumbai FC kept creating chances as they were in the mood to extend their lead. Another brilliant move from Paresh Shivalkar on the right flank saw him centre the ball to Allan but he volleyed the shot wide.

The second half began in similar fashion as the first, with Mumbai FC doing all the attacking with some good distribution by their midfield Taisuke Matsuge and Pradeep Mohanraj opening up the play for their wingers and strikers. Mumbai FC were testing the Indian Navy resilience, asking questions of their defence at regular intervals. Indian Navy got back into the game for a bit around the hour mark and against the run of play, Indian Navy did well to win a free kick in the opponents half but couldn’t do much with the Mumbai FC defence holding firm. Allan Dias received a yellow card in the 70^th minute for a rash studs up challenge on the opponents. The resultant free kick was well taken by Navy but Kunal Sawant made sure he kept the ball out with a good save.

The best chance for Navy came in the 75^th minute when some quick passing on the left flank provided an opening for their striker but the resultant shot on goal was cleared by Taisuke on the touchline. The second goal for Mumbai FC came in the 85^th  when John Coutinho’s awareness saw him beat the Navy defence with a clever lob sending Josimar clear through on goal. Rounding the  keeper, the Brazilian made no mistake with his finish as he slot home the ball into an empty net giving Mumbai FC a comfortable 2 goal lead. Indian Navy scored a late consolation goal as a shot from Raman Rai found the back of the net in injury time after the 90.

Team Line ups

Mumbai FC: Kunal Sawant, Kamaljeet, Justin, Kali, Rahul, Paresh, Taisuke, Manuel, Pradeep, Allan, Josimar

Indian Navy: Sumesh, Sunil, Akash, Sahir, Raman Rai, Anup, Lalchhunmawia, Kumar, Britto, Pawandeep, Bhaskar

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Mumbai FC find themselves at the top of the table after scoring a hattrick of wins in as many games in the MDFA Elite Division. They are 2 points clear at the top and will look to extend that gap to 5 points against the Indian Navy football team.

The game against Dena Bank saw Mumbai totally dominating the game. At the end some great keeping alongwith many missed opportunities saw the game finish 2-0 in favour of Mumbai. That said, the Mumbai players will be looking to make more of the opportunities they create against the Indian Navy.

Having started in all 3 games for Mumbai FC, Manuel D’Souza gave his insights on the campaign so far. “We are playing really really well. The only frustration was against Dena Bank because we weren’t really taking our chances. We need to be more clinical and kill the game as soon as possible. I was happy to get onto the scoresheet. We have played some beautiful football in midfield & attack and our defence has been robust.”

Indian Navy come into the game having played only one Elite Division game till now which was a 2-0 victory against Union Bank of India thanks to a brace from their skipper Lalchuanmawia. This game will prove to be a stern test for Mumbai FC as they continue to build on their momentum.

Mumbai FC Head Coach is wary of the threat the Indian Navy possess. “They have a good squad and their players are in good shape. We will have to be alert all the time and we need to continue keeping the ball the way we have in the last few matches. We are here to win.”

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