NAIHATI (West Bengal), Mar 3: David Munoz scored a brace as Sreenidi Deccan FC beat TRAU FC 3-1 to notch up their maiden win in the I-League here on Thursday.
Munoz scored in the second and 41st minutes while Louis Ugochukwu Ogana (30th) struck in between for Sreenidi Deccan. Akobir Turaev (33rd) scored a consolation goal for TRAU.
Sreenidi Deccan kicked off the proceedings in style with Munoz getting the first goal in just the second minute of the match. Munoz got another opportunity in the seventh minute but TRAU goalkeeper Amrit Gope was quick to deflect the ball to his right.
Salam Johnson Singh and Joseph Olaleye started linking up well on the front lines as TRAU started dominating possession.
In the 25th minute, a diagonal cross from Netrajit Singh inside the box towards Salam Johnson Singh provided a big opportunity for TRAU to get the equaliser. But Sreenidi Deccan goalkeeper Shibinraj Kunniyil kept his calm and averted the danger.
In the 29th minute, Sreenidi Deccan extended their lead with Louis Ogana receiving the ball from the right and sending it towards bottom-right corner past TRAU goalkeeper Amrit Gope.
But Akobir Turaev managed to get one goal back minutes later, as he struck a right-footed shot into the nets, bringing TRAU back into the contest.
In the 40th minute, a free-kick inside the box from Lal Chungnunga was headed in by David Munoz to again extend Sreenidi Deccan’s lead by two goals.
In the second match of the day at Kalyani, NEROCA and Gokulam Kerala FC played out a goal-less draw.
The Spanish duo of Juan Mera and Sergio Mendiguchia were at the heart of NEROCA’s creative engine and looked the likeliest source for the Manipuri side to break the deadlock.
Combative midfielder Jiteshwor Singh had an influential first half as well, proving to be a bundle of energy and winning the ball back for NEROCA FC on multiple occasions.
But in the end, both sides could not find a goal. (PTI)
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