NAGPUR Academy Football Club (NAFC) surged to the top of the table with their second successive win in the ongoing JSW-NDFA Elite Division League Championship at Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar Football Stadium in Suyog Nagar, north Nagpur. In their second outing on Sunday, NAFC rallied brilliantly as they scored two goals in space of five minutes to crush South East Central Railways Headquarters’ hopes of earning full three points for the first time in the competition. NAFC had started their campaign with a 3-1 win over Big Ben Football Club last Tuesday. With two wins from two games NAFC leaped to the top of the table with six points, becoming only team to register wins in both of their matches. It was the railmen who took the lead in the added time of the first half (45+3) surprising their opponent.

 

It was a brilliant team work from SECR forwards which helped them take the lead. Nitin Kotulwar slide to send the ball across the goal line after P Tushar and Akif Faraz combined well at the top in the injury time of the first half. The railmen, who were held by MOIL XI to a 1-1 draw in their opening game, did well to hold NAFC for more almost 90 minutes. NAFC increased their attacks in the dying moments and succeeded in levelling the score in the last minute of regulation time. Mohd Sabir Qureshi timed his jump beautifully from the cross of Amir Khan from the right. NAFC were awarded a penalty kick in the injury time (90+5) after Arshad Ghanchi was tripped in front of the post by Ramchandra Murmee. Abhishek Doifode made no mistake in beating SECR goalkeeper Amit Chaurasia to score the winner. On Monday: Ansar Club vs Big Ben at 2.30 pm.