Indian football wrap, March 2: Delhi FC wins in I-League after 10 games, Sreenidi Deccan falls to Namdhari at home

Delhi FC recorded its first win in 10 games beating Dempo Sports Club 2-1 in the I-League 2024-25 at the Coach Ali Haasan Stadium on Sunday, March 2.

All goals came in the first half. While Cameroonian Samir Binong (4’) and Zimbabwean Victor Kamhuka (20’) scored for Delhi FC, Trinidadian Marcus Joseph (35’) struck for Dempo.

While still rooted to the foot of the table (13 points from 17 matches), the win puts Delhi FC equal on points with Aizawl FC, albeit having played a game more. Dempo, which suffered its second successive defeat, has 19 points from 17 points and is placed ninth.

The last time Delhi FC won a match was against Shillong Lajong FC on December 19 last year. Thereafter, it collected only two points from 10 games.

Delhi flew off the blocks in the game, taking the lead within the first five minutes. From a cleared corner, Hridaya Jain picked up the ball on the right flank, before curling a dangerous cross into the six-yard area. Dempo’s first defender, Mohamed Ali missed the header, and Samir Binong capitalised, sliding in to score the opener.

Dempo looked short of confidence and was exposed defensively and Delhi pressed hard. In the eighth minute, Binong created a shooting opportunity of his own, sliding past two defenders, before letting fly from a narrow angle inside the six-yard box. Ashish Sibi made a sharp save.

The pressure bore fruit in the 20th minute when Delhi got its second, Jain’s corner duly converted by Victor Kamhuka.

Dempo halved the deficit in the 36th minute when Joseph curled a brilliant free kick from the outside of the wall into the goal.

As time wore on, the game got more hurried, mostly to Dempo’s benefit. And yet, it failed to create enough in the final third to pose any real danger.

Sreenidi Deccan loses to Namdhari FC

Sreenidi Deccan FC suffered a 0-1 loss against Namdhari FC in the league match of the I-League championship at Deccan Arena here on Sunday.

Cledson Carvalho scored the match-winner in the 12th minute of the first half for Namdhari.

After falling behind, the Deccan Warriors started to find their rhythm and created chances from set-pieces. In the 17th minute, David came close to scoring from a free-kick.

However, in the 29th minute, the Deccan Warriors suffered another setback as Angel Orelien had to be substituted due to an injury, with William Oliveira coming on to replace him. The remaining minutes of the half saw both teams share possession but fail to alter the scoreline.

The Deccan Warriors began the second half with more attacking intent but were unable to create many clear-cut chances or trouble the opposition’s defence. Fresh legs were introduced, with Lalbiakliana replacing Lalromawia in the 67th minute, while Lalchungnunga and Bonevacia came on for Brandon and Faysal, respectively. Chunga then created a few chances from the right wing, but as the full-time whistle blew after six additional minutes, it was the visitors who celebrated the victory.

Sreenidi Deccan FC will now visit Mahilpur to face Delhi FC on March 8.

Hockey Women’s Senior Nationals: Telangana, Delhi register wins on Day 2

The second day of 15th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship, held at the Tau Devi Lal Hockey Stadium, Panchkula saw Telangana Hockey and Delhi Hockey claim victories in Division B while Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey won their Division C match.

In Pool A of Division B, Telangana Hockey started their campaign on a high with a 3-1 win over Assam Hockey to open the day’s events. Assam Hockey struck the first blow with an impressive field goal by Captain Munmuni Das (14’); however, Telangana Hockey were prompt with their reply as they registered three quick goals in the second quarter itself from Prativa Kindo (23’), Sumi Mundari (26’) and Pooja Rathod (28’) to win the match.

In the second Division B match of the day, Delhi Hockey built on their win from Saturday as they edged out Hockey Himachal 1-0 in Pool B. Neha (14’) successfully converted a penalty corner in the first quarter to score the match’s only goal. Delhi Hockey’s resilient defending over the next three quarters ensured they claimed all the points and continued their winning streak.

The last game of the day in Division B ended in a 1-1 draw as both Chhattisgarh Hockey and Hockey Chandigarh couldn’t be separated over the four quarters. In what was a tightly contested affair, Anjali (47’) finally broke the deadlock for Chhattisgarh Hockey in the fourth quarter. The lead, however, only stood for two minutes as Hockey Chandigarh replied with an equaliser courtesy of Sonu’s (49’) field goal.

In Division C, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey defeated Hockey Gujarat 2-0 to open their campaign in Pool A.