Snow Leopards beat Chennai city in first encounter

Football Tourney

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 26

The Real Kashmir Football Club (RKFC) today won its first I-league match of the season by defeating defending champions Chennai City Football Club (CCFC). In its first home game of the Hero I-League 2019-20, the RKFC nicknamed Snow Leopards defeated the CCFC by two goals to one.

The game was played in chilly weather conditions and also amid tight security as this was the first I-league match to be played here after the abrogation of Article 370. Even as the atmosphere inside the TRC Turf Ground was electric, lots of RKFC fans left the venue as the tickets were sold out.

Danish Farooq scored the first goal for the home team in the 22nd minute and few minutes later Bazie Ahmad doubled the lead. For the visitors, Syed Suhail Pasha scored the solitary goal in the 48th minute of the second half.

The RKFC reached the seventh spot of the points table with this win as its first two away games of the I-league had ended in draws.

Fans were keenly awaiting the start of I-league action in the Valley as two RKFC matches that were scheduled to be played at the TRC Turf Ground on December 12 and 15 against Gokulam Kerela FC and Churchill Brothers FC Goa, respectively got postponed due to bad weather.

RKFC Coach David Robertson thanked the home crowd for the support. “This game is a good thing to happen and we have to keep up the momentum. It was nice to play at home and get three points. We thank the supporters….our boys are robust and know how to overcome difficulties,” he said.

Danish, who scored the first goal, said they had trained hard for the past four months and would try their best to live up to the expectations of the home crowd.