Indian football wrap, Feb. 26: India ends Pink Ladies Cup with loss to North Korea; Inter Kashi climbs atop I-League

Indian football wrap, Feb. 26: India ends Pink Ladies Cup with loss to North Korea; Inter Kashi climbs atop I-League

The Indian Senior Women’s team went down to North Korea (Korea Republic) 0-3 in its concluding Pink Ladies Cup at the Al Hamriya Sports Club Stadium here on Wednesday.

While Choi Yoojung and Choi Dagyeong put Korea ahead in the first half, Mun Eunju rounded off the tally in the 81st minute.

In the Pink Ladies Cup, India played three matches, winning the opener against Jordan, before going down to Russia and Korea.

The Koreans proved to be too hot to handle and camped themselves in the Indian half right from the word go.

Relentless pressure forced the Indian defenders to commit a few infringements near their area and one of them resulted in the first goal in the eighth minute. Yoojung and skipper Lee Youngju were the livewires of the Korean attacks and the former struck the first blow.

India goalie Shreya was an alert customer on most occasions, including a penalty save in the 66th minute, but she could do little when Dagyeong scored the second goal in the 27th minute.

In the second half, India looked more organised and took the ball to the other side more frequently. But the Koreans, dominating the spaces overall, stamped their authority when Eunju netted the third goal in the 81st minute, putting the contest to bed.

Serbian Nikola Stojanovic’s late strike delivered a crucial 1-0 win for Inter Kashi over a resilient 10-man Delhi FC in the 2024-25 I-League at the Coach Ali Hassan Stadium, on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.

With the win, Antonio Lopez Habas-coached side moved to the top of the points table with 31 points from 16 matches, leapfrogging Churchill Brothers, which has 29 points from 16 clashes.

Delhi FC, on the other hand, is still languishing at the bottom of the table with 10 points from 16 outings and is hard-pressed to avoid relegation. Its winless streak has now stretched to 10 matches.

The home side was reduced to 10 men after its goalkeeper Debnath Mondal was given marching orders at the stroke of halftime.

However, even with the man advantage, Inter Kashi struggled to make its numerical superiority count as Delhi’s defence stood firm and closed down spaces effectively.

It still managed to create a chance in the 64th minute when Bryce Miranda whipped in a looping cross into the box. Matija Babovic leapt to connect the ball with a header, but substitute goalkeeper Lalmuansanga made a diving save from close range to keep the scoreline goalless.

The breakthrough for Inter Kashi came in the 77th minute. Awarded a free kick 21 yards out, Stojanovic stepped up and expertly curled the ball over the wall to beat goalkeeper Lalmuansanga.

This goal marked Stojanovic’s sixth of the season and underscored his reputation as a clutch performer for Inter Kashi.

Published on Feb 26, 2025