Kalyani (WB), Mar 19 (Football News) After a morale-boosting win in their earlier game, Sreenidi Deccan will hope to build on to that success when they face Sudeva Delhi in an I-League match at the Kalyani Stadium here on Sunday.
Nigerian forward Louis Ogana found the net on either side of half-time to help Sreenidi beat Punjab FC 2-1 in their second match of the season and take their tally to seven points.
Ogana and David Castaneda have been in fantastic form, chipping in three and four goals respectively for Sreenidi so far. The Andhra Pradesh-based side will be up against a defensively strong side. “We are playing each game better than before. We haven’t reached our top level yet. We have the capacity to continue like this and put on a great show,” Sreenidi Deccan coach Fernando Santiago Varela said ahead of Sunday's match.
“Sudeva aren’t just defensively strong, they also have good attacking players. It’s not just about how we attack them, but how we defend against them.” Sudeva had suffered a dramatic late collapse against Aizawl in their previous match as they conceded twice in injury time to lose 1-2.
“It’s very disappointing to concede two late goals and lose like that. But that’s football. We made a couple of mistakes in the last few minutes and the boys have realised it,” said Sudeva coach Mehrajuddin Wadoo.
“They (Sreenidi) won their previous game, so they will be high on confidence. But we are more focused on our team and how we play.” In the second match at the Kalyani Stadium, Punjab FC would look to get their campaign back on track when they face NEROCA FC.
Assistant coach Floyd Pinto said his side would play with the right intensity to get a win.
NEROCA FC were pegged back late by Real Kashmir after squandering a 2-goal lead twice and their head coach W Khogen Singh is expecting another tough test.
“We fell short a little bit in the physical department towards the end. We need to keep improving and against an experienced Punjab team, we will have to be at our best to get the three points,” he said.
In the third match of the day, Aizawl FC would look to build on the win over Sudeva when they face Indian Arrows at Naihati Stadium.
Aizawl head coach Yan Law wants to keep picking up points.
“The result of the last match helped us a lot. We deserved a win and it was long overdue. The win will give us motivation and confidence to keep going in the next matches. I am proud of the players for showing mental strength and team spirit,” he said.
Indian Arrows head coach Shanmugam Venkatesh said he is happy with the defensive performance of his team but wants his players to play with the ball.
“In the last match, we got a clean sheet. It was really good. However, I was not happy with the performance. I want the boys to play good and attacking football. They have to play more with the ball. In this league, every point is crucial for us.”
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News Source : PTI
