Imphal, Aug 5 — Indian Navy FT bounced back from their opening defeat with a clinical performance to secure a 2-0 victory over North Eastern Re-Organising Cultural Association (NEROCA) Football Club in a Group D fixture of the 135th Durand Cup at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium in Imphal on Wednesday.

Roshan Panna opened the scoring in the first half before E. Muhammed Inayath sealed the result after the interval, as the Sailors produced a disciplined and clinical performance to register their first win of this year's competition.

The victory took Indian Navy to three points from two matches, lifting them to second place in the Group D standings. NEROCA FC, meanwhile, remained at the bottom of the table with one point from their opening two fixtures.

The match was played at a lively tempo despite the challenging ground conditions, with both teams pressing aggressively and denying each other time and space in midfield. The contest developed into a tightly fought battle in the centre of the park, where neither side was able to establish control.

With both midfields remaining compact, clear-cut opportunities were few in the opening exchanges. The first shot on goal was taken by the right back Maibam Deny Singh, whose long ranger went wide of the post.

NEROCA FC came close to breaking the deadlock around the 20-minute mark with a well-worked move down the right flank. Ngathem Imarson Meitei combined neatly with Modou Mbengue, who drove into the penalty area after an impressive run.

The Senegalese forward attempted to pick out the onrushing David Singh with a cross across the six-yard box, but overhit his delivery, sending it too high and too quickly for his teammate to make any connection with the ball. Moments later, the Senegalese also tested Bhaskar Roy with a shot from the edge of the box, which was comfortably saved.

Indian Navy broke the deadlock midway through the first half through Roshan Panna. Vijay Marandi produced a superb chipped pass over the NEROCA defence to pick out the young forward, who capitalised on a moment of hesitation from goalkeeper Penand Singh.

Roshan took a composed touch to round the advancing custodian before calmly slotting the ball into an empty net to hand the Navy side the lead. Vijay also had a long-range effort saved by the goalkeeper after five minutes.

The remainder of the first half was expertly managed by the Indian Navy side, who maintained the bulk of the possession. NEROCA FC were largely restricted to delivering crosses from wide areas, but the Navy defence dealt comfortably with the aerial threat. Having successfully nullified NEROCA's attacking threat, the Sailors went into the interval holding a deserved one-goal advantage.

Indian Navy created the first meaningful opportunity of the second half through another well-crafted attacking move. Zahir Khan threaded a precise pass into the path of Vijay Marandi after a slick passage of play through midfield, but the forward failed to hit the target, dragging his left-footed effort wide of the post.

Indian Navy continued to dictate proceedings in midfield through controlled possession, frequently reshaping their structure in build-up. Muhammed Inayath regularly dropped into central areas to provide an extra passing option alongside Adersh Mattummal and Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha, allowing the Sailors to overload the midfield and circulate the ball patiently.

The Navy men doubled their advantage just after the hour mark through a moment of individual brilliance from Muhammed Inayath. The midfielder showcased excellent control to glide past two defenders before reaching the byline and attempting a right-footed cross. However, the delivery looped over the backtracking NEROCA goalkeeper and nestled into the far bottom corner of the net to give the Sailors a two-goal cushion.

NEROCA FC attempted to increase the pressure in the search for a way back into the contest, but the Navy defence dealt with the pressure comfortably. The Sailors also looked threatening on the counter-attack, exploiting the spaces left behind by the advancing hosts. Substitute Pangambam Naoba Meitei injected fresh energy down the right flank and nearly added a third goal after a surging run into the penalty area. The U-20 international's powerful effort was brilliantly kept out by the NEROCA goalkeeper.

NEROCA FC's best opportunity of the second half arrived in the 82nd minute following a goalmouth scramble inside the Indian Navy penalty area. The loose ball fell kindly to substitute Sridarth Nongmeikapam, but the forward failed to keep his close-range effort on target. Moments later, another substitute, Chabungbam Linky Meitei, found space inside the penalty area but was also unable to make the opportunity count, dragging his effort wide.

At the other end, Naoba Meitei continued to trouble the NEROCA defence with his pace and direct running down the right flank. After winning possession high up the pitch, the substitute drove forward before delivering a low cross into the path of fellow substitute Sreyas V.G. The forward struck the ball cleanly, but Penand Singh reacted brilliantly to produce a sharp save before displaying excellent reflexes once again to deny the rebound of the save.

Navy comfortably saw off the rest of the game to register their first three points of the tournament.

Thursday's matches:

Bodoland FC vs FC1 (Group F) – 4:00 PM, Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati

Nongkseh SS & CC vs Langsning FC (Group E) – 7:00 PM, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong

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