SC Delhi rally to beat Jamshedpur FC in Durand Cup

Lalrinliana Hnamte marked his Sporting Club Delhi debut with two second-half goals as his side came from behind to defeat Jamshedpur FC 2-1 in a Group C match of the IndianOil Durand Cup played in Ranchi on Tuesday

Hyderabad: New signing Lalrinliana Hnamte made his debut for Sporting Club Delhi a memorable one, scoring twice in the space of five minutes in the second half to complete a comeback win for his side against Jamshedpur FC in a Group C fixture of the IndianOil Durand Cup played at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Ranchi on Tuesday.

Hnamte scored his brace in the 51st and 56th minutes after Jamshedpur FC took the lead in the 22nd minute through Sanan Mohammed. Despite the loss, Jamshedpur remain at the top of the table with three points from two matches, ahead of SC Delhi only on goal difference, with the latter having played just one match.

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That approach paid dividends midway through the first half. Pronay Halder won possession deep inside his own half before releasing Sanan with a perfectly weighted long ball over the top of the defence. The Kerala winger showed superb footwork to wrong-foot Ashutosh Mehta inside the penalty area before unleashing a fierce left-footed strike past Nora Fernandes, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance and giving Jamshedpur a deserved lead.

After a scrappy start to the second half, SC Delhi found the equaliser by capitalising on a costly goalkeeping error. Aimen found space on the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a low effort that appeared comfortable for Albino Gomes. However, the slippery conditions made the ball difficult to handle, and the Jamshedpur goalkeeper failed to gather it cleanly, spilling the rebound into the path of Hnamte. The new signing reacted quickest and calmly slotted the loose ball into the net to bring SC Delhi level.

The midfielder scored again within five minutes to give SC Delhi the lead after some brilliant wing play by Augustine Lalrochana. The winger dribbled past Provat Lakra with ease and found Hnamte inside the box. The midfielder guided a composed first-time finish beyond Albino Gomes with his left foot to give the visitors the lead.

The result: SC Delhi 2 (Lalrinliana Hnamte 51′, 56′) bt Jamshedpur FC 1 (Sanan Mohammed 22′).