NEROCA and Indian Navy play out goalless draw in Durand Cup

NEROCA FC and Indian Navy FT played a goalless draw in their Group F encounter in the 134th IndianOil Durand Cup. Despite several chances, both teams failed to find the net

Hyderabad: NEROCA FC and Indian Navy FT played out a hard-fought goalless draw in their Group F encounter of the 134th IndianOil Durand Cup at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium in Imphal on Thursday to earn a point each.

Despite several half-chances and moments of promise, both sides failed to find the finishing touch in a match that was high on midfield battles and defensive organisation.

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NEROCA head coach Gyan Moyon made three changes to his starting XI from the Imphal Derby, switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Jetli Sorokhaibam came in as goalkeeper, Gotimayum Muktasana was handed a midfield role, and Brazilian Lucas Da Silva slotted into the defence. Indian Navy head coach Raman Rai opted to retain his starting lineup from their previous win, sticking with the 4-3-3 system led by captain Bhaskar Roy in goal, with Vijay Marandi and Sreyas on the flanks and Roshan Panna up front.

Deny Singh of Indian Navy made the first attempt in the 6th minute with a right-footed strike from the wing, but NEROCA’s keeper Jetli Sorokhaibam was equal to the task, diving low to his left to make a comfortable save.

The Orange Brigade responded in the 11th minute when a through ball from midfield released Lourembam on the left. He sprinted down the flank and fired a shot at goal, but Bhaskar Roy handled it without fuss. The next few minutes saw NEROCA dominate possession, testing the Sailors’ defensive line with bursts from Lourembam and Rohit Meetei, but the Navy defenders held firm.

Indian Navy had their moments too, with Deny Singh orchestrating the play from deep and threading through balls for Sreyas. However, the forward failed to capitalise on these opportunities, his shot in the 27th minute lacked power and went straight to the keeper.