Aizawl: Aizawl FC registered their first win of this I-League season when they beat Sudeva Delhi 2-1 at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Monday.
After having drawn one and lost the other in their previous matches, Aizawl FC now have four points in their pot after three rounds. Sudeva Delhi, on the other hand, is still without a point after three appearances.
Sudeva took the lead through Seilenthang Lotjem in the 11th minute, but Aizawl found the equalizer when Lalchhawnkima struck in the 26th minute.
Matias Veron scored in the second half to bring the home side three points.
Although Sudeva Delhi initially had more possession, the first chance fell in the home side’s favor when R Lalthanmawia entered the penalty area after beating defender Nischal Chandan in the sixth minute but was unable to make use of it.
Sudeva took the lead as Kosuke Uchida won the ball in midfield and passed it to Lunkim Seigoulun Khongsai, whose powerful shot was parried by Aizawl keeper Vikram Lahkbir Singh. However, the goalkeeper was unable to do much when Seilenthang Lotjem shot in the rebound.
Kosuke nearly doubled the visitors’ lead in the 18th minute on a defensive error. The Japanese quickly took a left-footed volley, but it went just wide of the goal.
Midway through the first half, the People’s Club found the rhythm and began to dominate the game.
In the 26th minute, a foul was made on the left on R Ramdinthara. A powerful free-kick shot from Lalthanmawia was cleared by the Sudeva defence. The resulting corner then fell to Henry Kisseka, who saw his back-to-back attempts blocked. But the second rebound found its way to captain Lalchhawnkima, who equalized.
Aizawl scored their second goal in the 64th minute. Kisseka’s backward pass found Ramdinthara, who crossed the ball in front of Matias Veron to find the target.
In Imphal, TRAU FC beat Kenkre FC 3–0 at Khuman Lampak Stadium with Tajik striker Komron Tursunov scoring a late brace (75th and 87th minutes) after Nana Poku gave the home side the lead in the 41st minute.
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