Christopher Kamei’s first-half goal secured the result for Indian Army FT, which beat a 10-man Tribhuvan Army FC of Nepal by a solitary goal in a Group-C match of the 134th Durand Cup at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Tuesday.
Having lost its opening match against host Jamshedpur FC (1-0), Indian Army looked for its first win and found the lead in the 21st minute. Kamei was set up by a Wangden Tamang cross on the edge of the Tribhuvan Army box. The latter controlled the ball well and finished with a low shot to the bottom corner of the net to ensure an early advantage for the Armymen.
Tribhuvan Army FC was reduced to 10 men in the 29th minute as its goalkeeper Bikash Kuthu was shown a straight red card for a reckless foul on the Indian Army forward Liton Shil. The Indian Army had a few more chances to increase the margin but had to be content with the lone-goal lead, as all its efforts by the attackers failed to breach the Tribhuvan defence for the second time.
Indian Army collected three points to be in the second spot, behind Jamshedpur (six points) in the group league standings, while Tribhuvan Army ended its campaign with just one point from a draw and two losses.
Malaysian Armed Forces football team finished its campaign with a win as it beat local challenger Rangdajied United FC 1-0 in a Group-E match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong. Nasir Yasa found the target in the 67th minute to ensure a consolation for the Malaysian side, which had lost its previous two matches against Shillong Lajong FC and NorthEast United FC.
Rangdajied also lost its second consecutive match, virtually leaving Shillong Lajong (on six points from two wins) and NorthEast United, which beat the Malaysians in the only match it has played so far, to fight for the top spot in the group league.
The Results
Group C (Jamshedpur): Indian Army FT 1 (Christopher Kamei 21) bt Tribhuvan Army FC 0.
Group E (Shillong): Malaysian Armed Forces FT 1 (Nasir Yasa 67) bt Rangdajied United FC 0.
