Naihati (WEST BENGAL), March 29: Sudeva Delhi FC produced an inspired second-half display to overcome a two-goal deficit and eke out a fighting 2-2 draw against fancied Real Kashmir FC in their I-League match here on Tuesday.
A first-half brace from Tiago Adan gave Real Kashmir a two-goal lead at the break, but a fine second half comeback saw Sudeva Delhi take away a point from the contest, thanks to goals from Sreyas V G and Seithenlang Lotjem.
Earlier, Real Kashmir FC got off to a fantastic start by taking the lead through Brazilian frontman Adan as early as the second minute.
With the ball in his possession on the edge of the Sudeva Delhi box, Pratesh Shirodkar shaped to shoot at first, but ended up playing a delightfully weighted clipped pass for Adan.
Adan made a clever run in space behind the Sudeva Delhi defence and calmly slotted the ball into the far corner with his first touch.
Sudeva made a steady recovery despite the early setback and saw plenty of the ball in the opposition half.
If his previous effort left room for interpretation, in his next attempt in the 39th minute, Brazilian Adan got his second goal of the match.
After his initial through pass was blocked, the ball ricocheted back into the path of Adan, who produced an instinctive snapshot from 20 yards that beat Jha all ends up and curled beautifully inside the far post.
Sudeva Delhi coach Mehrajuddin Wadoo made a number of changes in the second half and the renewed vigour paid dividends in the 51st when substitute Sreyas pulled one goal back.
Sreyas was played through inside the box, but defender Lalchhawnkima was first to reach the loose ball. The ball could have been easily cleared away from the danger area, but Sreyas stuck to his task and out-muscled the defender to bear down on goal and send a low and hard finish past Niraj Kumar in the Real Kashmir goal.
In the final minutes, Sudeva Delhi’s perseverance earned them an equaliser in the 91st minute.
Gokulam vs Rajasthan
At Kalyani, defending champions Gokulam Kerala avoided a major upset as the their match against Rajasthan United ended in a 1-1 draw.
Rajasthan United rode on Sardor Jakhonov’s goal from the spot to lead for most of the match, but the red card to Julian Omar Ramos in the 66th minute opened up the game.
In the 26th minute, Rajasthan United received a penalty as Ramos was brought down inside the box by Pawan Kumar and Jakhonov converted from the spot, giving his team a surprising 1-0 lead over the defending champions.
However, in the 90th minute, substitute Ronald Singh finally scored the equaliser after receiving a penetrating pass down the middle from Macjen, and brought his team back on level pegging.
TRAU vs Mohammedan
Mohammedan Sporting Club came from behind to record a 2-1 win over TRAU to extend their lead at the top. Faisal Ali and Marcus Leric Jr Joseph scored one goal each for Mohammedan Sporting Club while Fernando Jose Gomes Junior scored the consolation goal for TRAU. (PTI)
