Key Points

TRAU took the lead in the 29th minute through Moirangthem Nelson Singh, but the equaliser in the 87th minute by Pintu and the winning goal by Sreyas in the third minute of injury time ensured the Navy men finish on top of the group with seven points ahead of Real Kashmir FC, who finished their campaign with six points.

TRAU FC head coach Thangjam Saran Singh made one forced change, bringing in Dhanachandra Mutum in place of the suspended captain Shitaljit Atom, while Indian Navy FT head coach Raman Rai started with the same line-up for the all-important match.

It was end-to-end action in the first quarter of the match, with Indian Navy showing urgency and attacking with purpose. The attacking trio of Vijay Marandi, Roshan Panna and Sreyas V.G combined well with midfielders Pintu Mahata and J. Vijay to trouble the TRAU defence, but the home side showed promise on the counterattacks, using the space left by the Navy men who committed numbers in attack.

TRAU took the lead against the run of play in the 29th minute. Jenish Singh found Yumnam Monis Singh with a long ball above the head of right back Deny Singh. The winger entered the box and squared a cross onto the path of Nelson Singh, who expertly finished past Bhaskar Roy with a left-footed shot.

The Navy side increased the pressure on the home side with constant attacks, but the TRAU defence were resilient and put their bodies on the line to block the efforts. The final output of the Navy men was also not up to the mark as they hurried their moves and showed a lack of composure in front of goal; the ones on target were saved by TRAU custodian Sapam Nongpoknganba Singh. J. Vijay came the closest to score with a thunderous low shot from outside the box which was palmed away by the goalkeeper.

Bhaskar Roy made a reflex save at the start of the second half, punching Afridi Buyamayum’s header to safety. Indian Navy continued to push forward with constant attacks, testing the opposition defence, but the equaliser could not be found. Adarsh Matummal surprised everyone with an audacious free-kick from 40 yards out which hit the inside of the post and the rebound effort was acrobatically saved by the goalkeeper — the closest the Navy side came to scoring in the match. The defender tried his luck in subsequent dead-ball situations but failed to find the target and came close once again in the final minutes with his trademark long-range efforts.

Indian Navy finally broke the resilience of TRAU in the 87th minute through Pintu Mahata. Sreyas V.G found Pintu inside the box with a brilliant pass and the midfielder found the back of the net with a toe-poked finish to set up frantic final minutes.

Late drama in the third minute of injury time saw the Navy side score their second goal which ensured their qualification into the knockouts. C. Pradeesh’s looping left-footed cross into the box was acrobatically met by Sreyas V.G and the experienced striker found the target, silencing the Imphal crowd.

- IANS