Mahilpur, Feb 26 Serbian Nikola Stojanovic curled home a brilliant free-kick in the 77th minute to deliver a crucial 1-0 win for Inter Kashi over a resilient 10-man Delhi FC in the I-League 2024-25 at the Coach Ali Hassan Stadium, here on Wednesday. With this win, the Antonio Lopez Habas-coached side moved to the top of the standings with 31 points from 16 matches.
Delhi FC, on the other hand, are still languishing at the bottom of the table with 10 points from 16 outings and are hard pressed to avoid relegation. Their winless streak has now stretched to 10 matches.
The home side was reduced to 10 men after their goalkeeper Debnath Mondal was given marching orders at the stroke of halftime. The match began with expectations high for Inter Kashi. However, Delhi FC’s disciplined defence frustrated Inter Kashi, who found it challenging to penetrate or accelerate past the compact backline.
Stymied by the lack of clear-cut opportunities, Inter Kashi had to rely on crosses from the flanks. However, Inter Kashi’s forwards failed to convert the crosses into goals despite Bryce Miranda and Narayan Das performing well through the wings.
The scales though tilted in favour of Inter Kashi at the stroke of half-time when Delhi FC goalkeeper Mondal was sent off after his reckless challenge on Matija Babovic, who was breaking towards goal. Yet, even with the man advantage, Inter Kashi struggled to make their numerical superiority count as Delhi’s defence stood firm and closed down spaces effectively.
Inter Kashi still managed to create a chance in the 64th minute when Miranda whipped in a looping cross into the box. Babovic leapt to connect the ball with a header, but substitute goalkeeper Lalmuansanga made a diving save from close range to keep the scoreline goalless.
The breakthrough for Inter Kashi came in the 77th minute. Awarded a free kick 21 yards out, Stojanovic stepped up and expertly curled the ball over the wall to beat goalkeeper Lalmuansanga. This goal marked Stojanovic’s sixth of the season and underscored his reputation as a clutch performer for Inter Kashi.
Inter Kashi could have extended their lead during the add-on time from another set-piece but Mario Barco’s header from a corner hit the woodwork. However, the missed opportunity didn’t come to haunt them as they eked out a narrow win.
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