NEROCA FC and Indian Navy FT played out a hard-fought goalless draw in their Group F match of the 134th Durand Cup football tournament to earn a point each in Imphal on Thursday.
Despite several half-chances and moments of promise, both sides failed to find the finishing touch in a match that was high on midfield battles and defensive organisation.
NEROCA head coach Gyan Moyon made three changes to his starting XI from the Imphal Derby, switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation. Jetli Sorokhaibam came in as goalkeeper, Gotimayum Muktasana was handed a midfield role, and Brazilian Lucas Da Silva slotted into the defence.
Deny Singh of Indian Navy made the first attempt in the 6th minute with a right-footed strike from the wing, but keeper Jetli Sorokhaibam was equal to the task, diving low to his left to make a comfortable save.
The Orange Brigade responded in the 11th minute when a through ball from midfield released Lourembam on the left. He sprinted down the flank and fired a shot at goal, but Bhaskar Roy handled it without fuss.
The next few minutes saw NEROCA dominate possession, testing the Sailors' defensive line with bursts from Lourembam and Rohit Meetei, but the Navy defenders held firm.
Indian Navy had their moments too, with Deny Singh orchestrating the play from deep and threading through balls for Sreyas. However, the forward failed to capitalise on these opportunities, his shot in the 27th minute lacked power and went straight to the keeper.
The first half saw strong defensive displays from both sides.
The best chance of the second half for the Sailors came in the 50th minute when Roshan Panna laid the ball off for Deny Singh, whose curling effort spun wide. Three minutes later, Deny had another crack from outside the box, but it went wide.
Neroca skipper Kinesh Singh nearly broke the deadlock in the 60th minute, but his left-footed placement off a lofted cross missed the target. Three minutes later, the Sailors were awarded a freekick on the edge of the box, but Adersh's effort struck the wall.
In the 88th minute, Indian Navy came close to a winner when substitute Sadananda Singh delivered a perfect ball to an unmarked Sreyas near the goal, only for the forward to hit the post. A minute later, Gomado had a similar opportunity at the other end but fired wide.
