K olkata, July 30: In the ongoing 134th edition of the Durand Cup, Namdhari SA began their campaign with a 2–0 win over South United FC at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan on Wednesday evening. With this match, South United FC concluded their Group A fixtures, while Namdhari SA started their campaign with three points.
The opening half saw an attacking display from both Namdhari SA and South United FC, with each side looking to dominance early on. In the 10th minute, Aatma Singh unleashed a long-range shot that nearly beat the South United goalkeeper, but the keeper saved it with inches in what could’ve been a stunning opener.
South United responded with a quick break in the 20th minute, as Huzaif unleashed a grounded long shot, but the Namdhari SA keeper reacted well to keep it out. The match remained open and lively, with end-to-end action.
In the 27th minute, a promising chance fell for South United again when Nowang Sherpa delivered a pinpoint cross from the left flank, but Daniyal, positioned inside the box, failed to make clean contact with the ball, missing a golden opportunity.
While both sides were aggressive, many of their attacking moves lacked the final execution. South United had fewer chances from inside the box, but the ones they created came closer to scoring.
The intensity carried into the second half as both teams kept running for the breakthrough. In the 59th minute, Satish Hawlader delivered a ball inside the box to Nowang Sherpa, who failed to connect. The loose ball landed at Huzaif’s feet, but his close-range attempt narrowly missed the target for South United.
Namdhari SA came close in the 70th minute when Lotjem cut past his marker from the left edge corner of the box and unleashed a powerful shot, but the South United keeper pulled off an incredible save to keep things level.
Just minutes later, in the 73rd minute, Namdhari launched another threatening attack. Degol found himself one-on-one inside the box, but South United goalkeeper Sunil Singh made a brilliant save to deny him.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 79th minute. Bhupender Singh cut inside and laid the ball off to Dharmpreet Singh. Though his initial shot was saved, the rebound fell back to Bhupender, who calmly slotted the ball into the net from the right side of the box, giving Namdhari SA a 1–0 lead.
Namdhari SA sealed the match in the 85th minute. Amandeep Singh sent in a cross from the right to Bhupender, whose shot was intercepted by Rowan James but not cleared properly. Degol capitalized on the loose ball, placing it into the net from six yards out to make it 2–0 in Namdhari SA’s favour.
Despite creating several chances in the first half, South United lost their grip as the game progressed toward the final whistle. Despite conceding two goals, South United goalkeeper Sunil Singh put in an incredible performance, showcasing commendable efforts that earned him the Man of the Match award. On the other side, Namdhari SA played a dominant attacking game, took 21 shots, and sealed a 2–0 victory in their first match of the Durand Cup 2025. Namdhari SA will play their next fixtures against East Bengal FC on August 6, in the VYBK.
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