I-League: NEROCA lose to Sudeva, relegated

Kalyani, March 16 : Relegation was confirmed for North Eastern Re-Organising Cultural Association (NEROCA) FC on Tuesday as the Gift Raikhan-coached team slumped to yet another defeat, this time losing to Sudeva Delhi FC 0-1 in the I-League on Tuesday.
Gursimrat Singh Gill’s header in added time of the first half proved to be the difference between the two sides in a match where NEROCA had largely themselves to blame for the defeat at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium.
Coming on the back of a 0-1 loss to Aizawl FC in their last match, NEROCA needed to gather all three points in order to stand a chance of taking the relegation battle to the final match day. The Gift Raikhan-coached side played with desperation from the opening minutes of the match, in their quest to take the early lead.
Although NEROCA committed bodies in the attack, they once again lacked creativity in the final third and were restricted to rotating the ball around the box. Sudeva Delhi FC, meanwhile, played on the counter and Kean Lewis’ crosses inside the box from the flanks tested the NEROCA defence time and again. In the 16th minute, Sudeva Delhi FC had their first opportunity on goal when Mahesh Singh tested his luck from distance. The strike, although accurate, lacked venom and was easily collected by the opposition goalkeeper.
But perhaps the best opportunity of the first half fell to Judah Garcia in the 19th minute. After the forward danced past the opposition defensive line, he was found with a low cross from the flanks. Garcia failed to connect from close range as Sudeva Delhi survived a scare.
With both teams creating multiple half-chances to take the lead, the match became an end-to-end affair. In the 38th minute, NEROCA once again lacked bodies up front as a Judah Garcia attempt to find a teammate on the back post went to waste. With Sudeva pressing higher up the park, possession became rare for NEROCA as they were pinned in their own half.