Jaipur, Jan 25 (IANS): Rajasthan United FC shocked Churchill Brothers 1-0 in the I-League 2024-25 encounter at the Vidyadhar Nagar Stadium on Saturday. The loss was Churchill’s second of the New Year. Spanish striker Gerard Artigas delivered the winner deep into the add-on time of the second half.
The defeat came as a double blow for the visitors as it also cost them the top position they were occupying in the league table. While Namdhari FC, who outclassed Shillong Lajong FC in the day’s first match, are now toppers with 20 points, the Goa side have dropped to the second place with 19 points from 10 outings. Rajasthan meanwhile moved up to fourth place with 14 points in their kitty from nine matches. The win extended the Desert Warriors’ unbeaten streak to five games, in which they have bagged 11 points.
After a shocking loss to open the new year, Churchill’s form reset to normal, and the league toppers were hoping to extend their advantage after Inter Kashi’s loss the prior evening. Rajasthan though were not an easy case to crack, unbeaten in four and putting together a run of results that not just belied their early season form but also had slowly turned it around.
Predictably, the visitors were the ones who started brighter, and in a first half devoid of much real goalmouth action, were the ones who conjured up the big chances of the period. The first arrived seemingly on a platter for Kingslee Fernandes, the forward’s run at the far post picked out with a perfect cross from the left. He volleyed high.
Churchill almost got the opener, Lamgoulen Hangshing’s cutback from the right falling in the path of Kingslee running into the box. The forward’s shot was on target but bounced off a clueless defender blocking the goal.
The game wore on without either side able to break through, half chances also petering out to few and far between. Arguably the best chance fell to Churchill’s Nishchal Chandan in the 88th minute, when a half-cleared corner fell at his feet inside the six-yard box. Facing a narrow-angle and a rapidly shutting window of opportunity, he volleyed high.
Rajasthan made them pay for that miss deep in injury time. A hopeful cross to the far post from Mateo Caprile was met by Samuel Lyngdoh’s flying volley. The forward’s shot was true and forced a brilliant reactionary save from Kadir. The parry fell straight into the path of Gerard Artigas and the Spaniard merely had to tap it in from two yards away.
Bedlam broke out in the coaching unit and the stands as Churchill looked shocked. It was effectively the last real action of the game as Rajasthan rejoiced in a brilliant smash and grabbed three points.