Jaipur, Nov 1 (IANS) Nishu Kumar scored the decisive goal as Sreenidi Deccan FC made a winning start to the season, edging past Rajasthan United 1-0 in the Indian Football League (IFL) 2026/27 season clash at the Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday.
Nishu Kumar struck in the 66th minute for the Deccan Warriors as they started the season with three points.
Rajasthan United started the game with greater energy, using the pace of wingers Thomyo Shimray and Brijesh Giri to test the Sreenidi Deccan defence. However, the backline, marshalled by the experienced Pritam Kotal and Hadi Idrissou, kept former ISL Golden Boot winner Diego Maurício quiet, denying him clear opportunities on goal.
The first clear-cut chance fell to the visitors when Adriano Castanheira found Jerry Mawihmingthanga in space inside the penalty area. However, Jerry failed to hit the target, sending his effort well over the crossbar. Rajasthan continued to use the wings to good effect and were racking up the corner kicks, but Karanjit Singh in goal was not troubled.
David Castañeda, in his sixth season with Sreenidi Deccan, came close to breaking the deadlock just before the drinks break, striking the crossbar. The Colombian continued his run into the box after releasing Jerry Mawihmingthanga down the right wing, and the winger returned the favour with a perfectly weighted low cross, but the striker could only direct his effort against the crossbar.
Sreenidi Deccan enjoyed the majority of possession during the remainder of the first half, but both sides remained cautious in their approach going forward. The slow tempo allowed the opposition defences to maintain their shape, and neither team could find a breakthrough as the sides went into half-time with the score still goalless.
Rajasthan United made a bright start to the second half, with P. Christopher Kamei rattling the crossbar with a ferocious left-footed strike from outside the box. Moments later, Foday Trawally also came close to scoring, but his right-footed effort from the edge of the area narrowly missed the target, and in the next move the Gambian midfielder combined well with Maurício and Ricky Vanlalhriatsanga with some fine one-touch football. Ricky then dribbled past two defenders and took a left-footed shot that sailed over the crossbar.
Sreenidi Deccan weathered the pressure and regained control of the game before taking the lead shortly after the hour mark with a well-worked move. Lalromawia found space on the right wing and played the ball to Adriano Castanheira at the edge of the box.
The Portuguese midfielder then laid it off to David Castañeda, who threaded a perfectly weighted pass into the path of the overlapping Nishu Kumar. The experienced full-back kept his composure and curled a fine finish into the far corner to put the Deccan Warriors ahead.
Sreenidi Head Coach Antonio Rueda brought in the changes to bring in fresh legs and preserve the one-goal advantage, while Giuseppe Cristaldi, in search of an equaliser, also tinkered with the lineup.
The Desert Warriors pushed hard to find the equaliser, but the experienced defence of the Deccan Warriors, along with Pronay Halder in defensive midfield, were able to withstand the pressure.
Diego Maurício came closest to scoring for Rajasthan United when the Brazilian held off his marker and unleashed a powerful right-footed effort from inside the box, only to see his shot narrowly miss the post. At the other end, Amrit Gope made two crucial saves to deny Castañeda and Brandon Vanlalremdika, keeping the score at 1-0.
Rajasthan United eventually ran out of ideas against a well-organised Sreenidi Deccan defence. The Hyderabad-based side held firm to protect their slender advantage, starting the season with a solid victory and securing all three points.
–IANS
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