Sudeva Delhi pip Kenkre 1-0

A deflected goal by Shubho Paul helped Sudeva Delhi FC eke out a narrow 1-0 win over Kenkre FC on the final matchday of Phase 1 in the I-League here on Tuesday.The match got off to a feisty start as Kenkre midfielder Kiran Pandhare unintentionally put an arm in the face of Sudevas Nishchal Chandan, busting his nose open in the process.After the restart, Sudeva were the first to prowl forward with an attack that was put out for a corner by B.

A deflected goal by Shubho Paul helped Sudeva Delhi FC eke out a narrow 1-0 win over Kenkre FC on the final matchday of Phase 1 in the I-League here on Tuesday.

The match got off to a feisty start as Kenkre midfielder Kiran Pandhare unintentionally put an arm in the face of Sudeva's Nishchal Chandan, busting his nose open in the process.

After the restart, Sudeva was the first to prowl forward with an attack that was put out for a corner by B. Nongkhlow.

In response to the early attack, Pandhare won the ball in midfield with a strong but clean challenge. The midfielder played a pass-through to striker Ranjeet Pandre, who had to settle only for a corner. During this spell, Kenkre won three corners in a row but failed to convert any of them as Sudeva dealt with them well.

Sudeva drew first blood as the ball fell to Shubho Paul inside the box and the youngster struck it firmly and saw it ripple the back of the net after picking up a slight deflection off Nongkhlow in the 13th minute.

Opportunities fell to Kenkre in the second half as they looked for an equalizer. Nagappan's first touch let him down at a crucial moment. Pandhare's decent header bounced off the crossbar and Pandre's effort from close range was saved by Sudeva keeper Sachin Jha.

At one point, Jha was beaten as Pandhare played Nagappan in for a goal but the Sudeva defense stood tall to deny Kenkre.

The victory lifted Sudeva to 11th in the table, a point clear of Indian Arrows.

Winless Kenkre, on the other hand, finished Phase 1 with two draws, keeping them at the bottom of the pile.

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