ANIL NEGI
Another day, another victory for Garhwal in the ongoing Delhi Premier League 2024-25 at Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi. The first match today saw the defending champions Garhwal take on Tarun Sangha FC. It was a hard-fought contest with both teams testing each other to the fullest. Garhwal opened the score in the 37th minute with Nirmal Singh Bisht. A poor clearance by Tarun Sangha’s defender led to a rebound shot by Garhwal from the 18-yard line which went directly to Nirmal, who calmly received the ball and toe poked it into the bottom corner. Tarun Sangha got back into the game with a slip-up from Garhwal’s centre back in the 40th minute.
Garhwal’s centre back received a regular pass but was ambushed by two Tarun Sangha players right at the 18-yard line which resulted in Garhwal losing the ball. The ball was then comfortably passed to the far post where Khullakpam Sakir Ali converted to equalise the score. Garhwal broke the stalemate in the 63rd minute with a wonderfully crafted move. A piercing through ball by Garhwal’s central midfielder went past the centre and left back to reach Garhwal’s striker. The striker crossed the ball inside to Mustafa Shaikh, who kept his composure and gave Garhwal the lead and ultimately the win. Nirmal Singh Bisht grabbed the man of the match award for his goal and exceptional contribution throughout the match.
The second match was a six-goal comeback thriller between Royal Rangers FC and Delhi FC resulting in a 3-3 draw. The match began with Delhi FC taking the lead in the 33rd minute with a diving header by Jagmeet Singh. Royal Rangers equalised quickly with a 43rd minute beauty by Bijoy Gusai. A long set-piece taken by Royal Ranger’s centre back from their own saw an excellent by their winger on Delhi FC’s 18-yard line. The winger then set up a rolling ball for Bijoy around the top of the box who skillfully shot the ball into the bottom left corner. Delhi FC took the lead in the 53rd minute with a powerful shot by Vanlalzahawma. The move began with a long throw taken into the box which was redirected with a header to Delhi FC’s striker. The striker’s attempt was denied by Royal Ranger’s goalkeeper but the rebound was put back into the net with a powerful shot by Vanlalzahawma. The 88th minute saw Delhi FC extend their lead. A long goalkick followed by a defly headed pass saw Thongkhongmayum Naoba taking on the keeper along and convert the goal with ease. With 6 additional minutes awarded after the 90 minutes, Royal Rangers upped the pace. The 94th minute saw a exquisitely crafted move that ended with a backheel pass in Delhi FC’s penalty box to Karmanya Bansal who scored the goal to bring Royal Ranger’s back into the game but with only two minutes remaining. With 20 seconds remaining in the 96th minute Royal Ranger’s centre back brilliantly tackled and stopped Delhi FC’s last attack at the 18-yard line. The centre back then dribbled the ball a little further and chipped the ball over Royal Ranger’s centre back. Karmanya Bansal took the ball on his chest and dribbled a third of the field to the goal and score calmly in the bottom left corner to heroically complete his brace and equalise the score. The match ended and the man of the match was awarded to Karmanya Bansal for his brace and for bringing his team back into the game in a comeback that no one could imagine.
The league will be paused till the 9-Oct-2024 due to ground availability issues. The next match will be played at 12:30 PM on 9th Oct at Ambedkar Stadium between CISF Protectors and Sudeva Delhi FC. The second match on the 9th will be between Vatika FC and Friends United FC at 3:30 PM. Garhwal’s next match will be on the 10th of October at 3:30 PM against Hindustan FC.
