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A change of coach meant a change in fortunes for Sudeva Delhi FC at the Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, December 22 as Sankarlal Chakraborty took charge at the Delhi club to guide them to their first point of the I-League season against a 10-man Mohammedan Sporting Club.
In a game where everything unfolded in the final minutes, Sudeva Delhi took the lead in the 86th minute through Theko Hriivei Carlos Pao, which was later cancelled out in injury time by a thumping volley from Abiola Dauda.
Mohammedan Sporting looked strong from the start and struck the woodwork in the first minute itself. Winger SK Faiaz managed to get onto the other end of a cross from the left, but was kept out by the cross-bar.
In the first 25 minutes, the visitors kept Sudeva Delhi rooted to their own half, building through the wings. However, Mohammedan Sporting lacked quality in the final third as the Sudeva Delhi goalkeeper Sachin Jha remained untested.
After enduring pressure for half an hour, Sudeva Delhi finally made inroads into the opponents’ penalty box. The hosts caught Mohammedan Sporting on the counter as Theko Hriivei Carlos Pao made a run into the box through the left channel, then beat his marker to put a cross for Seilenthang Lotjem from the byline, but it was blocked for a corner. The resultant corner taken by Lotjem yielded no result as the visitors went on to regain control of the proceedings.
At the brink of half-time, Mohammedan Sporting lost the ball in their own half to Lawmnasangzuala, who fed the ball to Carlos Pao as the midfielder went on to roll the ball into the back of the net, but was caught offside. Sudeva Delhi, who were not able to create many chances themselves, defended resiliently against the wave of Mohammedan Sporting attacks as the score remained goalless at halftime.
Three minutes into the second half, Mohammedan Sporting came close once again. Abhishek Halder fired a free-kick to find Ousmane N’Diaye in the box. The Senegalese sent a header towards the goal, but the Sudeva Delhi custodian Jha was well-positioned to make a reflexive save at the near post.
Captain Marcus Joseph sent a free-kick towards Sudeva’s bottom corner, but Jha stretched to tip it on to the upright, before it went out of play. Six minutes later, at the other end, substitute Francis Nwankwo sent a header just over the cross-bar from a corner by Lotjem.
With around 13 minutes of regulation time left on the clock, Sukhandeep Singh showed the ultimate commitment that kept the home side in the hunt. Mohammedan Sporting striker Marcus Joseph pounced on an error by Sudeva keeper Sachin Jha inside the box, but Sukhandeep was on hand to get his body in the way of what would have been a goal into an empty net. An airborne Sukhandeep headed it away off the line.
Five minutes later, Pao was through on goal, before being tripped just outside the Sudeva Delhi area by Abhishek Halder, who was immediately given his marching orders by referee K Ramdasan.
It was Pao who ultimately gave Sudeva the lead with just four minutes of regulation time left. Francis Nwankwo went past his marker, entered the box and sent a grounded cross to Pao at the far post, who scored with a clean strike.
After scoring, Sudeva Delhi looked to run down the clock but were stunned by an equaliser in injury time. Faslurahaman sent a cross into the box, which was beautifully collected by Abiola Dauda, who went on to send an acrobatic volley into the back of the net from close range.
