David Castaneda Munoz (73’) continued his fine form, scoring his 10th goal of the season to become the joint second-highest scorer in the league
Hyderabad: Sreenidi Deccan FC secured a hard-fought 2-1 win over Rajasthan United FC, ending the latter’s 10-match unbeaten streak in the I-League 2024-25 at the Vidyadhar Nagar Stadium, Jaipur on Wednesday.
David Castaneda Munoz (73’) continued his fine form, scoring his 10th goal of the season to become the joint second-highest scorer in the league. Angel Gabriel Orelien (43’) had earlier given the visitors the lead with a well-taken goal. Rajasthan United pulled one back through Maicol Cabrera (75’), but it wasn’t enough to salvage a point.
Despite the victory, the Deccan Warriors remain in ninth place on the table with 19 points from 15 matches. Rajasthan United, with 21 points from the same number of games, holds onto seventh place.
Rajasthan United FC kicked off the match with aggressive intent, opting for a high-press strategy that saw them dominate possession early in the game. The players tried to assert control and set the pace of the game, hoping to unsettle the visitors early on.
Despite their energetic start, Rajasthan United struggled to penetrate Sreenidi Deccan’s defence in the first half. Barring a few attempts from Seiminmang Manchong and Naoba Meitei, there were no significant threats to the Sreenidi Deccan goal.
Sreenidi Deccan, who came to the match on the back of a 0-4 loss against Shillong Lajong, remained undaunted and absorbed the pressure from Rajasthan United before gradually finding their footing in the match. Spearheading the attacks for the Deccan Warriors were David Castaneda Munoz and Angel Gabriel Orelien. The two forwards initiated cautious forays into their opponent’s half with determination and came close to scoring on a number of occasions.
The first chance fell to Orelien but his long ranger hit the woodwork. The Panama forward got another chance to break the deadlock but his powerful right-footed shot was saved by Rajasthan United goalkeeper Bhabindra Malla Thakuri.
The Deccan Warriors finally took the lead in the 43rd minute. After receiving a pass at the top of the box, Orelien twisted and turned to go past the Rajasthan United defence before calmly slotting the ball past an onrushing Thakuri with a deft touch.
The second half reflected the first as Sreenidi Deccan and Rajasthan United players were both cagey in venturing out. It was in the 73rd minute when Munoz scored an insurance goal for the visitors. Hardik Bhatt floated in a cross from the right and Thakuri came off his line to collect the ball. However, the goalkeeper misjudged the flight and Munoz headed home into an open net.
Trailing by two goals, Rajasthan United tried to launch a late comeback and found a goal in the 75th minute. Cabrera climbed high between two Sreenidi Deccan defenders to turn a cross from the right into the back of the net with his head.
The goal gave Rajasthan United a lot of confidence and they went all out in search of an equaliser but Sreenidi Deccan the defence held fort to notch up their fifth win of the campaign.
