Mumbai, 29 April, 2023: Victories for Muthoot FA, Bengaluru FC and FC Goa headlined the National Qualifiers of the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) that was held in Delhi and Bengaluru on April 29, 2023. Sudeva FC played out an engrossing 2-2 draw with Garhwal FC as a day of engaging footballing action rounded off with the Gaurs overcoming the Blasters by 1-0 at the Bengaluru Football Stadium (BFS) in the evening.
Muthoot FA secured a convincing 3-0 win against Garhwal FC at Civil Lines to start off the proceedings on Saturday. The team maintained a stronghold over the game from the beginning with forwards PV Vishnu and Naresh Bhagyanathan netting once each in the 14th and the 35th minute of the game respectively.
Their defence was flawless throughout the game as they warded off any aggression from the Garhwal forwards efficiently. Finally, skipper and defender Ajin Tom finished off the game with an injury-time strike in the 92nd minute to seal the game in style for Muthoot.
The other match at Civil Lines in Delhi was a more balanced affair, with Sudeva and Garhwal cancelling out each other’s efforts with two strikes each. Iashanbok Buhphang helped Garhwal kick off in a dominating demeanour, striking twice in the 18th and the 34th minute of the game respectively.
However, Sudeva came out of the half-time in a rejuvenated fashion and first cut down Garhwal’s lead through a goal from Ramesh Chhetri. The forward came off the bench at half-time to get on the scoresheet merely four minutes into the second-half. Sudeva kept pushing hard throughout the half and their efforts bore fruit with defender Ashray Bhardwaj nailing an injury-time equaliser in the 94th minute!
Bengaluru FC, FC Goa star down south
Bengaluru FC had a relatively more comfortable outing against the Little Flower Football Academy (LIIFA) from Trivandrum at the BFS. Bengaluru’s defender Harpreet Singh helped his side get ahead in the proceedings with a sixth minute strike and substitute Shighil demonstrated some fine ingenuity coming on in the second-half to double the team’s lead.
A moment of complacency in defence resulted in LIIFA earning a spot-kick in the 67th minute that midfielder Saivon Ericson successfully converted in the 67th minute. However, that wasn’t enough for the team from Kerala to takeaway three points from the encounter as Bengaluru saw off the rest of the game quite professionally to earn their victory.
Lastly, FC Goa squared off against their Indian Super League (ISL) rivals Kerala Blasters in a neck-to-neck contest at the very same venue. The first-half saw some incredible action from both teams but their respective backlines ensured that the ball didn’t get past their goalkeepers.
However, the Gaurs began the second-half with arguably some greater momentum and rhythm and capitalised on it by through midfielder Brison Fernandes’ goal in the 49th minute. The Blasters kept knocking on the door to secure the equaliser for the rest of the game but they were unable to find a way through the perfectly organised Goa defence.
Brief Scores
Delhi
Muthoot FA 3 (PV Vishnu 14’, Naresh Bhagyanathan 35’, Ajin Tom 92’) – 0 Chanmari FC
Sudeva FC 2 (Ramesh Chhetri 49’, Ashray Bhardwaj 94’) – 2 (Iashan Buhphang 18’, 34’) Garhwal FC
Bengaluru
FC 2 (Harpreet Singh 6’, Shighil 61’) – 1 (Saivin Ericon 67’) LIIFA Trivandrum
Kerala Blasters 0 – 1 (Brison Fernandes 48’) FC Goa
Sunday – 30 April, 2023 – Schedule
Imphal
Mohun Bagan vs SAI-RC: 10am at SAI Complex, Imphal
Shillong Lajong vs NorthEast United: 4pm at SAI Complex, Imphal
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