2nd Division League: Matchday 6 [24/02-26/02]

Bengaluru FC B and Fateh Hyderabad maintain their perfect start; South United FC go further south and Mohammedan SC pick up their first win at the end of Matchday 6 of the 2nd Division League.

Lonestar Kashmir and ARA FC tie postponed

Group A, Srinagar, 24 February 2019: Lonestar Kashmir vs ARA FC

The match has been postponed and will be played at a later date due to the prevailing security situation in Kashmir.

Jamshedpur FC Reserves draw a blank again

Group C, Kolkata, 24 February 2019: Mohammedan SC 2-1 Jamshedpur (R)

Jamshedpur FC went down to Mohammedan SC to record their fifth loss of the season in as many games. For Mohammedan Sporting, this is their first win of the season. In their previous three Group C fixtures, they drew once and lost twice.

Mohammedan SC started the game well and piled on the pressure on Jamshedpur Colts. The new signing and former Gokulam Kerala FC forward Arthur Kouassi got them on the score sheet in the 43rd minute.

The Ivorian centre-forward completed his brace in the second half in the 70th minute to double the lead after some intricate one-touch football led to him scoring off a tap-in.

The Reserves pulled a goal back late in the second half courtesy the Tata Football Academy product – 18 year old forward Samim Hossain.

However, that was about the extent of the comeback as Mohammedan proved too strong for the colts.

Bengaluru FC colts emulate the senior team

Group A, Delhi, 25 February 2019: Hindustan FC 1-3 Bengaluru FC (R)

The Bengaluru FC Reserves came back from a goal behind and a man down to maintain their perfect start to the season.

Hindustan FC won a penalty in the sixth minute and the spotkick was converted by the winger Franko Paul. The lead didn’t last long with Altamesh Sayed getting on the score sheet for the colts with a first time finish after being setup by Advaith Shinde.

In the 20th minute, Biswa was sent off after handling the ball in the box giving back the initiative to Hindustan FC. However, Franko Paul missed the penalty as the teams went into the half-time break with the scores tied at 1-1.

In spite of being down to 10 men, the Bengaluru reserves were positive and pushed forward and took the lead in the second half from a free kick awarded just outside the box. The Indian Arrows product Roshan Singh scored from the free-kick with a fantastic curler which went into the top right corner.

The Blue Colts got a third goal towards the end of the second half and Roshan Singh was instrumental in setting up the goal for Namgyal Bhutia. Roshan’s cross to the far post was expertly headed in by Bhutia to make it 3-1 for the reserves and seal all three points.

The Reserves are on top of Group A and maintain their perfect record with four wins out of four. They have also scored 19 goals which is the highest in the league so far. Hindustan FC have a perfect record – but for all the wrong reasons. They’ve lost all five fixtures they’ve played so far and are firmly stuck to the bottom of Group A.

South United FC go further south of the table

Group B, Bengaluru, 26 February 2019: South United FC 1-1 Chennaiyin FC (R)

South United FC were on the cusp of winning their first league tie this season, but a goal in second half stoppage time by Chennaiyin FC B meant they only got a point out of the game.

The former NEROCA man David Lalbiakzara got South United in the lead in the 15th minute after the Chennai keeper Samik Mitra misjudged the flight of the ball – The ball struck the post, then struck him and ended in the back of the net.

South United went into the second half a goal up as Chennaiyin continued to keep possession and went in search of an equaliser. The goal eventually came in second half stoppage time after South United failed to clear their lines from a corner. Chennaiyin FC’s Krishna Pandit took advantage of the loose ball and scored to level the scores as the teams shared a point apiece.

The reverse fixture between the two sides earlier in the season had also ended in a draw (3-3). South United haven’t had a great start to the season and are at the bottom of Group B.

Fateh Hyderabad march on at their home away from home

Group B, Bengaluru, 26 February 2019: Fateh Hyderabad AFC 2-1 Kerala Blasters FC (R)

Fateh Hyderabad who are playing their home games at the FSV Arena in Bengaluru picked up their fourth win in as many games after easing past Kerala Blasters FC.

The hosts took the lead in the first half after Naro Hari Shrestha’s header found Hitova Ayemi who finished superbly. Fateh went into half-time a goal to the good.

In the second half, the Ghanian forward Forster Addae setup Yadav Rahul with a through ball and the 19-year-old AIFF Elite Academy graduate helped Fateh double the lead.

Kerala made a desperate push to get back in the game and pulled a goal back from a penalty. There were some nervy moments for Fateh in the last 15 minutes, but they held on to win the game.

With the win, Fateh Hyderabad continue their stay at the top of Group B and look the likely contenders to go through to the next round.

GROUP STANDINGS

Group A

POS	TEAM	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1	Bengaluru FC (R)	4	4	0	0	19	2	17	12
2	ARA FC	4	2	0	2	8	10	-2	6
3	FC Goa (R)	2	1	0	1	7	4	3	3
4	Lonestar Kashmir	1	1	0	0	3	2	1	3
5	Hindustan FC	5	0	0	5	4	23	-19	0

Group B

POS	TEAM	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1	Fateh Hyderabad	4	4	0	0	9	2	7	12
2	Ozone FC	2	2	0	0	3	1	2	6
3	Kerala Blasters (R)	4	1	1	2	4	4	0	4
4	Chennaiyin FC (R)	5	0	3	2	6	8	-2	3
5	South United FC	5	0	2	3	5	12	-7	2

Group C

POS	TEAM	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1	Chhinga Veng FC	4	3	1	0	6	0	6	10
2	Rainbow AC	5	2	3	0	10	5	5	9
3	ATK (R)	4	2	1	1	6	3	3	7
4	TRAU FC	4	2	0	2	6	7	-1	6
5	Mohammedan SC	4	1	1	2	3	7	-4	4
6	Jamshedpur FC (R)	5	0	0	5	3	12	-9	0