It might have seemed like an intriguing decision when Shahdara FC coach sent in right winger Vikram Singh in the 76th minute. But the move turned out to be a fruitful one when Vikram scored a scorcher into the back of the net,from a distance of 40 yards from the right flank,in the 91st minute of the game. Shahdara upset defending champions Indian Nationals 1-0 in the DSA Senior Division league match,at the Ambedkar Stadium on Tuesday. They might have squandered a penalty and were held to a draw in their last encounter against Ahbab FC,but Shahdara made sure that it wasnt to be repeated against an experienced Nationals side on Tuesday. Nationals striker Pradip Kumar skillfully targeted the goal from the left corner after dodging two wingers in the eighth minute but his effort was saved by the Shahdara custodian. Positive football was put on display right from the onset,as both sides showed their desperation to earn crucial points. Ten minutes after the break,the Shahdara goalie was once again in the thick of the action,when he saved a swirling freekick by Nationals skipper Gyan Moyon. With only injury time left on the clock,it appeared as if the match would resolve in a draw,Vikrams clinical finish completed the upset victory. Shahdara are now on 9 points in eight matches,while National have two points more after the same number of games. Rangers score fiveIn the first match of the day witnessed Royal Rangers thrashed Mughals FC by a margin of five goals. The experience of former India player and coach Carlton Chapman was evident as Rangers led from the front and drew first blood,just ten minutes into the game. Left winger Poushingcong Kabul received an aerial ball and dribbled past two men to direct the ball from the box to the right corner of the post. Seventeen minutes after the first goal,Mughals suffered a second strike by Nigerian striker Abey Owdlesho. A stunning shot from outside the box landed into the right corner to take the game beyond Mughals reach with a 3-0 scoreline. Prashant Jaggi made it 4-0,seconds before half-time. The speed of the Rangers was unmatched after the break as the fifth goal was scored in the 76th minute by the Ayub Hosain Mondal. Mondal got a pass from striker Pankaj Negi from the right flank and he made no mistake in converting the simple chance into the goal from a distance of 10 yards. After outclassing Mughals,Royals sit pretty on 13 points in eight matches,whereas Mughals stay on one point after playing eight matches.
