I-League: Real Kashmir looks to return to winnings ways against Punjab

Real Kasmir will look to bounce back from its 0-2 loss to Mohun Bagan on Friday when it hosts former Punjab FC at the TRC Turf Ground in Srinagar.

Real Kashmir is currently eighth on the points table with five points from four games.

Real Kashmir will look to get back to winning ways when it hosts Punjab FC in the I-League here on Friday. The match, which will be the second encounter between the two teams in league, will kick-off at 11:00 AM.

Real Kashmir is coming on the back of a 0-2 home defeat to Mohun Bagan. One of the startling features of the match was, in spite of having a strong show till the 70th minute, Real Kashmir was looking disorganised after the first goal. A similar situation was also seen in the match against TRAU where Real Kashmir conceded two late goals in the second half.

Speaking before the match, Real Kashmir FC coach David Robertson said, “That game was disappointing, but we did well and had two great chances with Bazie and Mason almost scoring, prior to Mohun Bagan getting their goals. The game could have gone either way. They were more clinical in front of goal but if we play the same way in future games we will win.”

He also commented upon its opponent Punjab FC saying, “Punjab is always a tough team to play against. We know it will be a tough encounter but we are looking forward to it.”

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“As I said, if we play and work as hard as we have we can win the game. Hero I-League is very competitive and there is no easy game and every team is capable of beating each other so there will be a lot of twists and turns as we move on.”

Punjab FC played its last game in Imphal on January 4 which ended in a draw. Punjab in this match will be particularly keen on breaking this streak of draws and return to winning ways.

Punjab coach Yan Law reflected upon the match against TRAU and said, “The match against TRAU was not as bad as the score was for us. The boys did well and stuck to our plan. We managed to keep a clean sheet and maintain more way possession than the opposition. The only problem was that we missed our chances while attacking.”

He also added, “Kashmir is one of the strongest teams at home. The weather, the artificial turf, the size of the pitch, and the fans are all in favour of Real Kashmir. It’s very difficult to get points off them for any travelling team. But the boys have worked hard and are ready to get the points we missed from the last game.”