Solid Rajasthan hold favourites Bengaluru United to 1-1 draw

I-League Media

The second match in Group A saw a faceoff between Rajasthan United FC (RUFC) and FC Bengaluru United (FCBU) at the Bangalore Football Stadium today.

A back and forth game between both teams saw Bengaluru United enjoy a solid first half, while the team from Rajasthan came back in the second period to draw level by outplaying their opponents for a large part of the game. The match finished 1-1, with FCBU defender Kinshuk Debnath facing ejection after a red card in the 86th minute.

The match began with both teams feeling each other out in the first ten minutes, but Bengaluru United started to grow more into the game progressively as they got hold of more of the ball. As Bengaluru United looked to build out from the back, the team looked confident of looking after the ball and using the whole length and breadth of the pitch.

Rajasthan United looked to follow a set game plan which showed signs of a strategy that involved keeping the score at 0-0 in the opening period and not conceding an early goal. As the game progressed RUFC dug in and gave a good account of themselves against difficult opposition. They looked to attack Bengaluru United with long vertical passes to transition from defence into attack at high speed. RUFC had some promising moments where it looked like they could release either winger; Dilliram Sanyasi or Aman Thapa, but they lacked the final quality of pass that would have put the wingers through on goal.

The game moved in ebbs and flows early on, and sprung into life towards the latter end of the first half. FCBU’s fancied Spanish striker Pedro Manzi began to get a look of more of the ball in promising situations in the opponent’s half. However, it was his strike partner Luka Majcen who had the first real chance of the game, as FCBU winger Gopi flighted in a looping cross from the right wing which was met by the late-arriving Slovenian, who produced a first time volley towards the near post. The shot was saved with an agile dive towards the ball by goalkeeper Vishal Joon.

The breakthrough came in the 41st minute of the game from an FCBU set piece opportunity. After winning a free kick in a promising position on the left flank, Sanju Pradhan delivered a precise cross which was directed goalwards by Luka Majcen. After Vishal Joon saved the initial attempt, Pedro Manzi followed up to finish the rebound by putting the ball high into the roof of the net. This came as the former Hero I-League Golden Boot winner’s first goal of HILQ 2021.

RUFC looked to direct its attack on the Bengaluru United goal through their wings, with their wide players looking the most likely to find an opening. At the stroke of half time, RUFC built a well coordinated move up the pitch which saw all their attacking players combine smoothly. They could not find a scoring opportunity, but the play must have given the team an understanding of how to approach the second half.

Ten minutes after the restart, RUFC came agonisingly close to scoring an equalising goal from a set piece of their own this time. As Aman Thapa delivered a fantastically shaped cross towards the 6 yard box, it was begging for a final touch from an RUFC player to put the ball home. Instead, the ball bounced out tantalisingly for another corner kick.

Much like proceedings in the first half, the game went through a lull for a brief period, before springing back into action when Rajasthan United equalised through their striker Sukhjit Singh in the 78th minute. The goal came from a move that was begun by Aman Thapa, as the Rajasthan United number 7 seemed to cause Bengaluru United’s backline all sorts of trouble. He combined well to drive the ball up the field and feed Sukhjit Singh, who came onto his left foot to take a shot that took a wicked deflection off an FCBU player, leaving goalkeeper Kunzang Bhutia completely wrong footed. RUFC got the slice of luck with the deflection, but the side richly deserved their goal for their thorough domination throughout the second half.

The restored parity set up an exciting end to the game for the final few minutes, but things turned from bad to worse for FCBU when veteran centre back Kinshuk Debnath got a red card for hampering an opposition player when he was through on goal. From the resultant free kick within range of goal, Aman Thapa drew a smart save from keeper Kunzang Bhutia, who tipped a fierce shot over the bar.

Down to 10 men, FCBU looked to not only protect their one point, but also made efforts to grab all three through opportunistic attempts of their own.

Pedro Manzi got a half chance from a near post header, which drew a reaction save from Vishal Joon, who steered the danger clear. The match finished with both teams having their respective strong phases in the game, which eventually led to them cancelling each other out.

Rajasthan United remain in a favourable position on top of Group A with four points from two matches, while FC Bengaluru United have ground to make up. 

Rajasthan edge Ryntih SC 3-2 in thrilling opening encounter of the I-League Qualifiers

AIFF Media 

In an opening match that would do justice to the anticipation of any competition in world football, Rajasthan United FC defeated Ryntih SC 3-2 at the Bangalore Football Stadium on October 4, 2021. After finding themselves holding a sizeable 3-0 lead after 70 minutes into the game, Rajasthan United FC (RUFC) seemed on their way to a dominant victory before Ryntih SC came back with two goals to mount a tough fight towards the dying embers of the game. The team from Rajasthan saw out a tense final period to start their maiden Hero I-League Qualifiers campaign with a win.

The encounter began with a high tempo as both teams looked to carve out clear goal scoring chances in the opening ten minutes of the game. The first threat on goal came from Rajasthan United FC’s skilful and pacy winger Aman Thapa, whose mishit cross in the 3rdminute almost caught out Ryntih SC goalkeeper Padam Chettri and went on to hit the crossbar. RUFC winger Aman Thapa trying to isolate the opposition full back in a 1-on-1 situation was a regular feature of RUFC’s attack in the first half.

In the following minutes, the first golden chance of the game fell to Carlos Challam of Ryntih SC, who was played in behind the backline with a delightful ball over the top. Carlos tried to lob the onrushing goalkeeper Vishal Joon from the edge of the box, but put too much into his lob, sending the ball well over the goal.

As Ryntih SC dominated possession and created a few more half chances in the following minutes, the first breakthrough of the match came slightly against the run of play in the 11thminute for RUFC. After RUFC Captain Akeem Abioye’s shot from long range took a deflection, Dilli Ram Sanyasi was the quickest to latch onto the loose ball as he volleyed a low and hard first-time shot which Ryntih SC goalkeeper Padam Chhetri was unable to get behind.  The tenacious winger from Sikkim became the first goal scorer of the Hero I-League Qualifiers 2021.

Ryntih SC fashioned another golden opportunity to get on the score sheet and grab an equaliser in the 26thminute, as Carlos Challam crossed the ball for his teammate Robert Khongjoh, who would have had a glorious chance to head the ball into an unguarded net had the cross not been slightly too high for him to get on the end of.

As RUFC implemented a strategy of pressing the ball higher up the pitch and subsequently maintaining a high line in defence, Ryntih SC continuously tried to exploit the space behind the backline with well time through balls. Hardy Cliff had a similar chance in the 36thminute, but could not get on the end of the through pass as goalkeeper Vishal Joon rushed out to clear the danger. It could have been a sticky situation for the keeper, who had already received a yellow card previously in a similar exchange.

The action packed game showed no signs of slowing down, as Aman Thapa unleashed a thunderous strike from range which crashed against the frame of the Ryntih SC goal in the 42ndminute. RUFC continued to pile on the pressure as the game neared half time, and got their reward in the added time of the first half after a beautiful team move. After stringing quick and precise passes together that saw the team move into the opposition penalty box, Harpreet Singh squared the ball for teammate Sukhjit Singh to double RUFC’s lead on the stroke of half time.

The second half kicked off with Ryntih SC attempting to force the issue to find their way back into the game, but RUFC continued to manage the game efficiently and keep Ryntih SC at an arm’s length. The introduction of the experienced Chesterpaul Lyngdoh in the second half added a spark to the Meghalaya club’s attack, but it was their opponents who went on to further extend their advantage.

Aman Thapa, who had been threatening to score the entire afternoon, finally got his goal in the 68thminute. After RUFC progressed up the field in a quick counter attack, the ball came to Thapa on his favoured left flank. Thapa expertly cut back inside onto his right foot and produced a measured effort that curled back inside the goalpost to find the back of the net.

As the score line weighed heavily in favour of the team from Rajasthan, Ryntih SC began a spirited fight-back by netting the first of their goals in the 79thminute through Captain Banpynkhrawnam Nongkhlaw. After receiving the ball from a short corner, Sheen Stevenson crossed the ball into the box, which was headed goal wards towards goalkeeper Vishal Joon. Joon would have expected to do better with the initial effort as the ball slipped through his fingertips, and was bundled over the line by Nongkhlaw.

Ryntih SC now sensed a way back into the game and continued to attack the RUFC goal in numbers. In the 80thminute, Sheen Stevenson was fouled inside the box by Gurmukh Singh, earning his side a penalty and a further chance to claw their way back. Having earned the opportunity, Stevenson stepped up to take the spot-kick, which he converted by calmly slotting the ball into the goalkeeper’s right-hand side corner in the 82nd minute.

This set up the match for a tense final few minute in which Ryntih SC continued to pepper the RUFC goal with attempts from range, but could not find the all important goal to go level with the team from Rajasthan.