Ranchi, Aug 4 (IANS) New signing Lalrinliana Hnamte made his debut for Sporting Club Delhi a memorable one, scoring twice in the space of five minutes in the second half to complete a comeback win for his side against Jamshedpur FC in a Group C fixture of the 135th Durand Cup which was played at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Ranchi on Tuesday.
Hnamte scored his brace in the 51st and 56th minutes after Jamshedpur FC took the lead in the 22nd minute through Sanan Mohammed. Despite the loss, Jamshedpur remain at the top of the table with three points from two matches, only on goal difference with SC Delhi, who have only played a single match.
Jamshedpur FC head coach Kaizad Ambapardiwalla made one change to the starting XI from his side’s previous outing, with full-back Nikhil Barla replacing Abhishek Ambekar. SC Delhi head coach Tomasz Tchórz, taking charge of his side’s first match of the tournament, retained eight players from the lineup that featured in the club’s final Indian Super League fixture of the previous season.
The Delhi outfit also handed competitive debuts to new signings Lalrinliana Hnamte, Yanglem Sanatomba Singh and the experienced Ashutosh Mehta as they looked to begin their Durand Cup campaign on a positive note.
The home side made the brighter start, dictating the tempo in the opening exchanges. Much of their attacking play was channelled through the left flank, where Sanan Mohammed was a livewire with his pace and direct dribbling.
The winger delivered several inviting crosses into dangerous areas, keeping the SC Delhi defence under sustained pressure. Raynier Fernandes, fresh from his hat-trick in Jamshedpur’s previous outing, came closest to opening the scoring. The midfielder reacted quickest to a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area but saw his effort drift wide of the post.
At the other end, Mohammed Aimen came agonisingly close to giving SC Delhi the lead with a moment of individual brilliance. Picking up the ball in midfield, the forward dribbled past three defenders before guiding a side-footed effort beyond the outstretched Albino Gomes. However, the shot struck the base of the post and rebounded back into play.
Jamshedpur FC continued to build their attacks through the flanks, with Sanan and Aman C.K. maintaining their width and stretching the SC Delhi defence. Both wingers looked dangerous every time they received the ball in advanced areas, and the hosts’ wide play consistently created problems for the visitors.
That approach paid dividends midway through the first half. Pronay Halder won possession deep inside his own half before releasing Sanan with a perfectly weighted long ball over the top of the defence.
The Kerala winger showed superb footwork to wrong-foot Ashutosh Mehta inside the penalty area before unleashing a fierce left-footed strike past Nora Fernandes, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance and giving Jamshedpur a deserved lead.
SC Delhi finally got their footing in the match and were the better side in the final quarter of the first half. They kept possession for long periods of time and created chances. K. Sourav had an effort from the edge of the box that flew above the crossbar, but the best chance for the Delhi side came towards the end of the half.
Lamgoulen Semkholun split the Jamshedpur defence with a line-breaking low pass from inside his own half, releasing Lalrinliana Hnamte into space. Hnamte took a composed first touch into the penalty area before driving a low cross across the face of goal.
Joseph Sunny arrived unmarked at the back post but lost his footing at the crucial moment, failing to make a clean connection and letting a golden opportunity slip by as Jamshedpur took the one-goal lead into the half.
After a scrappy opening to the second half, SC Delhi found the equaliser by capitalising on a costly goalkeeping error. Aimen found space on the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a low effort that appeared comfortable for Albino Gomes.
However, the slippery conditions made the ball difficult to handle, and the Jamshedpur goalkeeper failed to gather it cleanly, spilling the rebound into the path of Hnamte. The new signing reacted quickest, calmly slotting the loose ball into the net to bring SC Delhi level.
The midfielder scored again within five minutes to give SC Delhi the lead after some brilliant wing play by Augustine Lalrochana. The winger dribbled past Provat Lakra with ease and found Hnamte inside the box with perfection. The midfielder guided a composed first-time finish beyond Albino Gomes with his left foot, giving the visitors the lead.
SC Delhi looked firmly in control after taking the lead, while Jamshedpur FC appeared to have lost their rhythm following the interval. The visitors came close to extending their advantage just after the hour mark through another well-crafted attacking move.
New Brazilian signing Rodriguinho, introduced moments earlier, made an immediate impact by threading a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Sourav. The forward’s left-footed effort was well saved by Albino Gomes, but the rebound fell kindly for Rodriguinho inside the penalty area.
Just as the Brazilian looked set to convert into an open net, a recovering Jamshedpur defender produced a crucial intervention to bundle him off the ball and prevent what seemed a certain third goal.
Jamshedpur FC enjoyed their share of possession after falling behind but struggled to translate it into meaningful opportunities in the final third. SC Delhi remained compact and organised defensively, ensuring goalkeeper Nora Fernandes had very little to do as the hosts failed to test him with any clear-cut chances.
Their best opportunity arrived deep into stoppage time when Lalhriatpuia Chawngthu blasted his effort above the crossbar after reaching a loose ball at the end of a long throw-in.
There was more drama in the final seconds of the game as SC Delhi finished the match with ten men. Defender Ashutosh Mehta was shown a direct red card for a reckless challenge outside the penalty box on Sanan Mohammed. In the end, it did not matter much for the result of the game as SC Delhi held on to the lead and secured all three points.
Wednesday’s matches:
NEROCA FC vs Indian Navy FT (Group D), 4:00 PM, Khuman Lampak Main Stadium, Imphal
Indian Army FT vs Baghpat FC (Group B), 7:00 PM, Kishore Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata
–IANS
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