EXPLAINED: HOW DID RAJASTHAN UNITED OVERTAKE ATK MOHUN BAGAN FOR THE QUARTER FINAL SPOT
Rajasthan United qualifies for the Durand Cup quarterfinals in its very first attempt. It pips ATK Mohun Bagan and it is all thanks to the incredible 3-2 win it pulled off against the Kolkata giant early in the tournament. RUFC will face Hyderabad FC in the quarterfinal.
Indian Navy’s resistance was impressive. But RUFC has piled on the pressure and eventually its class has prevailed. Rajasthan United isn’t satisfied with two goals. It is on the hunt for more and it is Martin Chavez is the one at the heart of all of it.
Nikum releases Barboza down the left and the substitute puts it past Vishnu and doubles the lead. That should be the game for the I-League side.
RUFC is comfortably dragging this game into full time. Only few more minutes from a hugely impressive entry into the quarterfinals. Martin Chavez has been the star of the game for the side. His energy and vision on the ball has been on a different level from everyone on the pitch today.
Barbosa is put through by Chavez. But Vishnu went down quickly to nudge it away from goal. Another brilliant save from the Navy keeper.
That goal puts RUFC has a foot in the quarterfinals and it brings in a raft of changes to hold on to this thin lead.
That save from Vishnu means, as of now, ATK Mohun Bagan will progress from group B into the quarterfinals. RUFC still has 18 minutes to make amends. And it finally scores!!! Vishnu’s resistance finally falls and RUFC leads through Youseff.
As expected, RUFC brings in more attacking players to force the issue. Vishnu pulls off what could be the save of the tournament. Chavez tries to side-foot a volley to the top corner and Vishnu flew to his left to parry it to the crossbar and swipes away the rebound. WHAT A SAVE!!!
Navy wins a corner down the right. Hari swings it in deep, but RUFC clears it and sets off on a counter. Chavez goes down inside the box, but the referee waves away the appeals for a penalty.
As RUFC began to dominate proceedings, INFT is getting more chances on the counter. Meanwhile Chavez continue create havoc in the Navy box.
Martin Chavez has grown into the game. He thunders a shot from outside the left-hand corner of the box and it crashes into the underside of the bar and bounces away. The closest any side has come to scoring.
Vishnu flies to the right to punch away a Chavez freekick. Good save from the Navy keeper. Chances are flying for both sides, but we have no goals yet.
Hari drives in from the left and he tries to thread a through ball. But he is fouled and wins a freekick from a dangerous position. But navy can’t capitalise on the set piece.
It will be ATK Mohun Bagan who will be the happiest at this moment. As things stand, it is the Kolkata side that goes through into the quarters.
Both sides are getting more chances to score as the game has opened up. Martin Chavez is fed a ball down the left. He cuts it back and tries to bend one into the opposite corner. But, he didn’t get the desired curl on it. Missed chance. RUFC creates a chance from a corner. Yousuf’s header skims of the corner with half time looming. INFT too gets chance to take the lead. Hari controls a long ball inside the box. His pass from the left hand side finds Jijo, but his shot is marginally wide. And it is half time.
Just like Emami East Bengal before, Rajasthan United is also finding it hard to crack the INFT defense. The Navy men almost gets a goal themselves. But Hari’s shot was off target.
RUFC almost breaks through. INFT keeper ends up in no man’s land and RUFC had a chance to fire into an empty net. But Navjot tracked back to put in an incredible tackle to keep it at 0-0.
As things stand, RUFC is heading out of the tournament. It has to amplify its presence in attacking position. Not a time for desperation, but it isn’t too far away.
RUFC keeper Vishal is down with an injury and he is getting medical attention. This gives a chance for the rest of the players to take a drinks break. RUFC players start off quickly and almost takes the Navy by surprise.
INFT midfielder Hari has been deployed in an attacking position today. He nutmegs Hardik and almost gets into the box before RUFC regroups.
Despite being winless in this tournament so far, INFT has impressed many with its defensive solidity and it is exactly what is on display today. RUFC unable to create anything solid so far.
William with the first shot on goal. He launches one from range, but Vishnu collects it with a leap. INFT defense has more or less constrained the RUFC attack so far.
Rajasthan United has begun to dominate possession. INFT midfielders are showing their intent with the ball. But the final ball is lacking.
Both sides yet to settle into the game. But, Indian Navy’s desire to attack and push men forward has been evident in the early minutes. It has scored just one goal in the tournament so far.
And the game kicks off. Rajasthan knows it has its fate in its own hand. RUFC are sporting its white kits today, while Navy is donning its dark blue one.
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PREVIEW
Rajasthan United will face the Indian Navy FT in the final Group B fixture which will determine which two teams will qualify for the quarterfinals.
Rajasthan united had begun the tournament by pulling off a huge upset as it beat the fancied ATK Mohun Bagan. Though the I-League side fell to a huge loss against Mumbai City FC (5-1), it still has a chance to qualify for the knockouts.
Click here for the Points Table
As per the rules, if Rajasthan United wins by any margin today, it qualifies for the quarterfinals.
This is because if Rajasthan United wins, three sides will end up at seven points. This will result in the first criteria being employed - Higher number of points obtained in the matches between the Participating Teams concerned.
Results between these three sides - ATK Mohun Bagan, Mumbai City and Rajasthan United
ATK Mohun Bagan vs Rajasthan United: 2-3
Rajasthan United vs Mumbai City: 1-5
Mumbai City vs ATK Mohun Bagan: 1-1
This means, in this scenario, Mumbai City FC qualifies as group topper and Rajasthan United qualifies as runner-up.
If Rajasthan United loses or draws today, ATK Mohun Bagan will qualify as group runner-up.
This means, Mumbai City has assured its position on top of the table.
Where is Rajasthan United vs Indian Navy being played?
Rajasthan United vs Indian Navy is being played at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
When is Rajasthan United vs Indian Navy in Durand Cup?
The match between Rajasthan United vs Indian Navy is scheduled for a 3 pm kick-off IST.
Where can I watch Rajasthan United vs Indian Navy?
The Durand Cup fixture – Rajasthan United vs Indian Navy – will be aired on Sports18 and Sports18 HD.
Sports18 is available on Tata Play (Channel No. 488), Airtel Digital (Channel No. 293), JioTV+ (Channel No. 262 – SD, 261 – HD) and Sun Direct (Channel No. 505).
Where can I live stream Rajasthan United vs Indian Navy?
The Durand Cup fixture – Rajasthan United vs Indian Navy – will be live streamed on Voot and JioTV.
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