Real Kashmir post comfortable victory over NEROCA FC to go on top of Group F

 Real Kashmir FC – 3 (Salam Ranjan 32’, Tareck 70, M. Mbengue 82’)

NEROCA FC – 1 (Lucas 67’)     

 Khel Today Bureau

Imphal: I-League side Real Kashmir FC posted a comfortable 3-1 victory over home side NEROCA FC in an important Group F clash of the 134^th IndianOil Durand Cup which was played here at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium. Veteran defender Salam Ranjan Singh gave the lead for Real Kashmir in the first half which was equalised by Lucas Chagas but goals from Maret Tareck and Modou Mbengue ensured they secured all three points. The side from Kashmir finished their group stage campaign with six points from three matches while NEROCA finished their campaign with two points. The final group stage match between Indian Navy FT and TRAU FC on August 12^th will now determine who will qualify for the knockouts as group winners.

All 43 matches of the 134^th IndianOil Durand Cup will be broadcast LIVE on the Sony Sports Network (Sony Ten2 HD) as well as livestreamed on the SonyLiv OTT platform

Neroca FC Head Coach Gyan Moyon made two changes to his starting line-up bringing in Kabrabam Arun Kumar Singh and Saphaba Singh Telem in place of Nonganba Singh Akoijam and Nongthongbam Japes in a 4-4-2 formation while Real Kashmir FC Head Coach Ishfaq Ahmed made only one change to his starting line-up bringing in Ahteeb Ahmad Dar in place of Shahid Nazir in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

The opening half at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium saw a tightly contested battle. The early exchanges were cagey, as both sides probed cautiously without creating clear chances. NEROCA looked to press higher as the game settled, with Harrison making a lively forward run that was eventually thwarted by the visitors’ defense.

The best chance for the home side came when Saphaba dribbled past two defenders and squared a low cross for Arun, but his attempt went narrowly wide. Real Kashmir made the breakthrough in the 32nd minute, capitalising on a set piece. A corner found Salam Ranjan Singh unmarked inside the box, and the defender showed fine composure to control and fire a powerful shot past the goalkeeper.

The goal injected confidence into the visitors, while NEROCA’s frustrations began to show as Rohit picked up a yellow card for a late challenge on Tarek, followed shortly by Kinesh being booked for a shove. In the final moments of the half, Real Kashmir threatened again when Haider Yusuf slipped a clever pass to Sessegnon, whose dangerous cross went untouched. The whistle went with Real Kashmir holding the advantage, leaving NEROCA with work to