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Imphal, March 8 (IANS) Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU) FC left it late to salvage a crucial 1-0 win over All India Football Federation's (AIFF) developmental side Indian Arrows at the Khuman Lumpak Stadium on Sunday.
Deepak Devrani emerged the unlikely hero, netting the winner in the 89th minute.
The win comes at a very important time for TRAU, who now have some breathing space in their quest for I-League survival. With the three points, they have now moved to 22 points, fourth in the table and seven points clear of city-rivals Neroca, who are in the relegation spot.
TRAU came close in the 37th minute through Joseph Mayowa's delicate cross, which crept over Samik Mitra in the Arrows goal and came off the inside of the woodwork.
The second half resumed with the same cautious approach from either side. Arrows gaffer Venkatesh introduced his leading goal-scorer Vikram Partap Singh near the hour mark, hoping for him to make a super-sub impact.
Vikram's introduction seemed to have given the visitors the sudden burst in pace going forward.
In the 77th minute, the Arrows were on the counter again as Nikhil Raj lobbed the ball into the path of Vikram, who ran the length of the TRAU half before driving a low-cross across goal. Nikhil, who had complimented Vikram's run, mistimed his shot as the cross went begging.
TRAU introduced Romanian forward Petru Leuca, which may have sparked the shift in the tides. In the 89th minute, the hosts pushed men forward.
Tanmoy Ghosh made good work of the ball and having found some space, dinked one into the box which was headed clear by Akash Mishra. The pieces fell to Devrani, who went for the spectacular with a scissor kick and to everyone's disbelief, netted one of the goals of this Hero I-League season which proved to the match-winner for the Imphal outfit.
TRAU will now travel to Srinagar to challenge red-hot Snow Leopards on March 14 whereas Indian Arrows will face Gokulam Kerala at their backyard one day later March 15.
--IANS
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