Rajasthan United FC defeated Rintih SC 3-2 in the opening match of I-League Qualifier 2021 at Bangalore Football Stadium on 4 October. Taking themselves a massive 3-0 lead after 70 minutes into the game, Rajasthan United FC (RUFC) looked to be on their way to a major victory, before Ryntih SC were the dying embers of the game with two goals. And came back to pursue an uphill battle. Rajasthan saw a tense final period to start their maiden I-League Qualifier campaign with a win.
The encounter started at a brisk pace as both the teams were looking for clear scoring opportunities in the first ten minutes of the game. The first threat on goal came from skillful and fast bowler Aman Thapa of Rajasthan United FC, whose mishit nearly caught Rintih SC goalkeeper Padam Chhetri in the third minute and hit the crossbar. RUFC winger Aman Thapa trying to isolate the opposition completely in a 1-on-1 position was a regular feature of RUFC’s attack in the first half.
In the later minutes, the game’s first golden opportunity came to Rintih SC’s Carlos Challum, who played behind the backline with a delightful ball at the top. Carlos tries to hit flamboyant goalkeeper Vishal Jun from the edge of the box, but puts too much into his lobe, sending the ball well over the goal.
As Ryntih SC held on and created a few more half chances in the later minutes, the first breakthrough of the match came against RUFC running into play in the 11th minute. After the deflection of a long-range shot from RUFC captain Akim Abioye, Delhi Ram Sanyasi was the quickest to catch the loose ball as he made a low and hard first shot, which Rintih SC goalkeeper Padam Chhetri could not keep behind. Sikkim’s strong winger Hero became the first goalscorer of the I-League Qualifier 2021.
Ryntih SC provided another golden opportunity to get on the score sheet and score an equalizer in the 26th minute as Carlos Chalam passed the ball for his teammate Robert Khongjoh, who had a brilliant shot at the unprotected net. There was a chance. There was little more for him to get at the end of.
As RUFC implemented the strategy of pushing the ball up the pitch and later maintaining a high line in defence, Ryntih SC tried to take advantage of the space behind the backline with successive deliveries. Hardy Cliff had a similar chance in the 36th minute, but goalkeeper Vishal June rushed to remove the threat and could not reach the end of the through pass. This could have been a difficult situation for the keeper, who had previously received a yellow card in a similar exchange.
The action-packed game showed no sign of slowing down as Aman Thapa struck a forceful strike from the crashing range against the Rintih SC goal frame in the 42nd minute. RUFC continued to build pressure as the game approached half-time, and received their reward in the first half of extra time after a graceful team move. After linking the team with a quick and accurate pass into the opposition penalty box, Harpreet Singh squared the ball for teammate Sukhjit Singh at the stroke of half-time to double RUFC’s lead.
The second half began with Ryntih SC attempting to force the issue back into the game, but RUFC continued to manage the game efficiently and kept Ryntih SC at an arm’s length. Experienced Chesterpole Lyngdoh’s start in the second half added a spark to the Meghalaya club’s attack, but it was their opponents who extended their advantage.
Aman Thapa, who was threatening to score by noon, finally scored in the 68th minute. After RUFC advanced into the field in a quick counter-attack, the ball came across Thapa on his preferred left flank. Thapa skillfully cut back on the inside of his right foot and made a measured effort that rolled back inside the goalpost to find the back of the net.
As the score line weighed heavily in favor of the Rajasthan team, Rintih SC started a spirited fight in the 79th minute by scoring their first goal through captain Banpinkhranam Nongkhalaw. After receiving the ball from a small corner, Sean Stevenson passed the ball into the box, which was headed towards goal keeper Vishal June towards goal ward. Jun would have expected a better performance in the opening attempt as the ball slipped through his fingers, and was tied over the line by Nongkhlao.
Ryntih SC now saw a return to the game and continued to attack the RUFC target in numbers. In the 80th minute, Sheen Stevenson was fouled inside the box by Gurmukh Singh, giving his team a penalty and another chance of a comeback. Earning the opportunity, Stevenson stepped up to take a spot-kick, which he converted in the 82nd minute by slipping the ball calmly into the goalkeeper’s right-hand corner.
This made the match tense for the final few minutes with Rintih SC continuing to chase down the RUFC target with efforts from the range but could not find the all-important target to level up with the Rajasthan team.
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