A narrow 1-0 victory for Sudeva Delhi FC lifted their spirits on Tuesday against Kenkre FC, here at the Naihati Stadium.
A deflected goal scored by Shubho Paul in the first half was enough to get three crucial points for Sudeva.
The match got off to a feisty start as Kenkre midfielder Kiran Pandhare unintentionally put an arm in the face of Sudeva's Nishchal Chandan, busting his nose open in the process.
Sudeva drew first blood as the ball fell to Shubho Paul inside the box and the youngster struck it firmly and saw it ripple the back of the net after picking up a slight deflection off Nongkhlow in the thirteenth minute.
Opportunities fell to Kenkre in the second half as they looked for an equaliser.
In the dying minutes of the game, substitute Pravitto Raju headed the ball into the net only to see the offside flag go up against him. Eventually, Sudeva managed to hold on to the narrow 1-0 lead and emerge victorious on the last matchday of phase 1.
The victory lifts Sudeva to eleventh in the table, a point clear of Indian Arrows. Kenkre, on the other hand, have finished phase 1 with no wins and two draws, keeping them at the bottom of the pile.
( With inputs from ANI )
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