FATEH Hyderabad earns draws against Neroca FC in tour opener
Plays first professional game in 2nd Division League of AIFF
Strongly fought game ends with draw against experienced Neroca FC
Fateh Hyderabad opened their I League 2nd Division campaign with a well-earned draw against an experienced Neroca FC team in Manipur in front of a crowd of 18000. Neroca played a direct game with their midfield playing balls down the channels while Fateh Hyderabad was playing a well-crafted combination game.
It was an uneasy first half for both teams with Fateh defending well but unable to create enough chances in the final third. Fateh Hyderabad’s goalkeeper Vignesh and centre backs Manpréet and Sunveer held back Neroca’s offense.
The young Fateh players settled in better in the second half and started seeing more of the ball. They continued to defend well and created a few opportunities to score. Neroca pressured Fateh in the final few minutes but the vigorous defence by the young players stood strong earning the club’s first league point.
At a post-match Coach Yogesh Maurya said “Very proud of how our team stood tall. First time for most of our players in front of that kind of crowd on this stage. Manpreet was a lion and Vignesh was brilliant in goal. The boys will definitely be better off for the experience”. The coach was also gracious and thanked Neroca FC for being wonderful hosts and also complimenting their team for a game well played.
The team proceeded to Guwahati for their next encounter on Nov. 21 against Guwahati Football Club at the famous Nehru Stadium.
