(Football news) In the 67th minute, the team from the national capital scored when defender Chungkham Jackson executed a deft chipped ball that forward Seilenthang Lotjem expertly picked down and then put it beyond Reliance Foundation Young Champs goalkeeper Ranit Sarkar to give the visiting team a lead in the game.
After that, Sudeva tightened their defences and stopped the waves of assaults that Reliance Foundation Young Champs later launched against them. The victory is crucial because Reliance Foundation Young Champs had easily advanced to the semifinals by going undefeated in both their national group stage matches and regional qualifiers.
However, Sudeva gave it their best and consistently attempted to penetrate the Reliance Foundation Young Champs backline in a number of ways, appearing undaunted by the calibre of the opposition they were facing. They attempted to create some openings through the flanks but ultimately succeeded by using a slightly more direct approach that surprised the Reliance Foundation Young Champs defenders.
Despite not having many chances to score, Seilengthang’s calm finish made sure that Sudeva took advantage of the few opportunities they did manage to create. They were clever in how they handled the game going forward, frequently taking their time to build up from the back and making sure that Reliance Foundation Young Champs didn’t have possession for an adequate amount of time.
The third-place playoff game is on Saturday, and Reliance Foundation Young Champs will be playing ATK Mohun Bagan with the hopes of capping off their season on a high note.
“This defeat itself is the biggest takeaway for the boys, so, looking forward for more from them. Of course, we have another game just coming up. We have the chance of becoming a top three team in our country. The Next Generation Cup is also coming up. So, our preparations start from tomorrow. Our heads are always up,” Reliance Foundation Young Champs coach and former India international Arata Izumi reflected on the result in the aftermath of the game.
“I want to win. But, let’s see, more than that the most important thing is to enjoy and learn in every game,” Sudeva coach Chencho Dorji said about the team’s upcoming final clash against Bengaluru FC. “We came up very strongly. We got a goal and I was pretty sure that every team is normal I think,” he added as he addressed Reliance Foundation Young Champs and the challenge that they presented in front of Sudeva.
Brief Scores
Sudeva FC 1 (Seilenthang Lotjem 67’) – 0 Reliance Foundation Young Champs
Also read: RDFL Semi-final1 : Bengaluru FC triumph over ATK Mohun Bagan
