I-League 2018-19: 3 reasons why Churchill Brothers won against NEROCA FC

#2 NEROCA lost the plot in the final minutes

NEROCA tried their best to stop Churchill

NEROCA are a team who love to play an attacking brand of football. Coach Manuel Retamero Fraile is not the kind of coach who will tell his boys to defend from the first minute of the match.

However, it was not the same NEROCA that we have seen in the earlier matches. They rely on counter-attacks as speed is their main weapon. But that did not reflect in the match against Churchill. NEROCA found it hard to get their feet in the match.

Katsumi Yusa, who initiates maximum counter attacks for his team, was tightly marked by Khalid Aucho. The Japanese had neither time nor space to make a run. This made life tough for striker Felix Chidi, who is constantly fed by the Japanese. NEROCA had to use other options but it was not so effective.

But their defence was resolute. All credit goes to Varney Kallon and Eduardo Ferreira for making timely interceptions and using their brain to keep Churchill away from scoring.

But it’s really hard to win a match by defending all the time. Due to their fatigue and a bit casual approach, NEROCA defenders lost it in the final five minutes and it was enough for Churchill to make their opportunity count.

Credit goes to Lalit Thapa for making some fine saves otherwise Churchill would’ve got the lead much earlier.