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The first round of matches in the 2022-23 I-League were characterised by tight results, with no team winning by a margin of more than one goal. Aizawl FC and TRAU played out the only draw of the round, while Real Kashmir, Mumbai Kenkre and Rajasthan United racked up crucial away victories.
Even though there was little to separate teams in terms of goals, some vital statistics stood out. Let’s take a look at a few key numbers from Round 1:
8 shots on target – Sudeva Delhi registered as many as eight shots on target, but could only score once in their defeat against Mumbai Kenkre thanks to goalkeeper Padam Chettri’s solid performance in goal.
27 tackles – Gokulam Kerala continue to be I-League’s hard tacklers, with 27 successful challenges against Mohammedan. One-third of those came from Argentine midfielder Juan Nellar on debut.
64% possession – Sreenidi Deccan amassed 64 percent ball possession against RoundGlass Punjab in Panchkula. The visitors were 0-2 down at the break and dominated the ball in the second half, but were unable to take anything from the game.
2.5 xG – Churchill Brothers endured a frustrating night in Bambolim, managing to score only once with an xG of 2.5 in their defeat to Rajasthan United.
509 passes – NEROCA completed the most passes by any team in Round 1 at 509 (87% accuracy), with Uzbek midfielders Sardor Jakhonov (85 passes) and Mirjalol Kasimov (80 passes) topping the charts.
8 crosses – Andrey Chernyshov’s Mohammedan completed eight crosses against Gokulam Kerala, once again displaying their efficiency down the flanks. Five of those crosses were made by full-backs Vanlalzuidika Chhakchhuak and Abhishek Ambekar.
82 interceptions – Strong anticipation was the highlight of RoundGlass Punjab’s defensive solidity against Sreenidi Deccan as they made 86 interceptions, 17 of those coming from defender Shankar Sampingiraj.
7 chances – Rajasthan United created seven chances, more than any other team, in their 2-1 win over Churchill Brothers. Both goals were assisted by skipper Martín Cháves.
6 dribbles – Churchill Brothers’ star signing Tana recorded six successful dribbles on his I-League debut against Rajasthan United. The Spaniard also completed three key passes and created two chances.
