Brazilian Tiago Adan’s brace enabled Real Kashmir FC (RKFC) to record a 3-2 win over former champion Aizawl FC in an I-League encounter at the Kalyani Stadium on Monday.
RKFC displayed its solid defence and made the most of the opportunities that came its way to collect three points.
Tiago headed in a Surchandra Singh corner to put RKFC ahead in the ninth minute. Aizawl equalised through Lalthakima’s brilliant header in the 38th minute. Tiago slotted in a rebound following an attempt off a corner to restore RKFC’s lead at the stroke of half-time.
Captain Mason Robertson’s header, which completed a beautiful move from the left, put RKFC in an advantageous position in the 66th minute.
Aizawl, which had 70% of possession, narrowed the margin when Ramhlunchhunga stunned the Snow Leopards by slamming home a loose ball in the 85th minute. That made the closing minutes interesting, but could not stop the IFA Shield champion from beginning the season with a win.
In another match, Spanish striker Sergio Mendigutxia’s hat-trick on debut powered Neroca FC to a 3-2 win over Sreenidi Deccan FC.
The results: Real Kashmir 3 (Tiago Adan 9, 45+2, Mason Robertson 66) bt Aizawl 2 (Lalthakima 38, Ramhulnchhunga 85) ; Neroca 3 (Sergio Mendigutxia 16, 22, 50) bt Sreenidi Deccan 2 (Mahesh Khosla 41, David Munoz 59); Mohammedan SC 2 (Sk. Faiaz 13, Marcus Joseph 53) bt Sudeva Delhi 1 (Abhijit Sarkar 90+1)..
